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This  Copy  of ‘^The  High-Caste  Hindu  Woman” 

is  presented  to 

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V-/_ft_j!v. 


By  Mrs.  ELIZABETH  THOMPSON, 

STAMFORD,  CONN.,  U.  S.  A. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/highcastehinduwoOOrama 


' r- 


1 


THE 


High-Caste  Hindu  Woman, 


BY 


PUNDITA'^RAMABAI  SARASVATI. 


WITH  INTRODUCTION  BY 

RACHEI.  L.  BODLEY, 

DEAN  OF  WOMAN’S  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


SECOND  EDITION, 


PHILADELPHIA : 
1888. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1887,  by 
RAMABAI  DONGRE  MEDHAVI, 
in  the  Office  of  the  librarian  of  Congress.  All  rights  reserved. 


Press  of  The  Jas.  B.  Rodgers  Printing  Co. 


^ r ' 


f 


) 


TO  THE 

MEMORY  OF  MY  BEEOVED  MOTHER, 

LAKSHMIBAI  DONGRE, 

WHOSE  SWEET  INFEUENCE  AND  ABEE  INSTRUCTION 

HAVE  BEEN 

THE  EIGHT  AND  GUIDE  OF  MY  EIFE, 

THIS  eittee  voeume 


IS  MOST  REVERENTEY  DEDICATED. 


f.O«TCKCff.ST  PHOTOTrPt 


3n  SHcmoriam 


Anandibai  Joshee,  M.  D. 


DAUGHTER  OF  GANPATRAO  AMRITASWAR 

AND 

GUNGABAI  joshee. 


Born  in  Poona,  Bombay  Presidency,  India,  March  31st, 
1865.  (Child-name,  Yamuna  Joshee.) 

Married  Gopalrao  Viuayak  Joshee,  March  31st,  1874. 
(Wife-name,  Anandibai  Joshee.) 

Sailed  from  Calcutta,  India,  for  America,  April  7th,  1883, 
being  the  first  high-caste  Brahman  woman  to  come  to  the 
United  States.  Landed  in  New  York,  June  4th,  1883. 

Graduated  in  medicine,  from  the  Woman’s  Medical 
College  of  Pennsylvania,  March  nth,  1886,  being  the  first 
Hindu  woman  to  receive  the  Degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  any  country. 

Appointed,  June  ist,  i886,  to  the  position  of  Physician- 
in-Charge  of  the  Female  Ward  of  the  Albert  Kdward  Hos- 
pital, in  the  City  of  Kolhapur,  India. 

Sailed  from  New  York,  to  assume  her  duties  in  Kolha- 
pur, October  9th,  1886. 

Died  in  Poona,  India,  February  26th,  1887. 


f 


c 

t 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  silence  of  a thousand  years  has  been  broken, 
and  the  reader  of  this  unpretending  little  volume 
catches  the  first  utterances  of  the  unfamiliar  voice. 
Throbbing  with  woe,  they  are  revealed  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages  to  intelligent,  educated,  happy  Ameri- 
can women. 

God  grant  that  these  women,  whom  He  has  blessed 
above  all  women  upon  the  earth,  may  not  flippantly 
turn  away,  as  they  are  wont  to  do  from  some  over- 
pious  tale,  and  without  reading,  condemn  ! To  begin 
this  story  of  The  High-caste  Hindu  Woman^  and  not 
to  read  it  through  attentively  to  the  last  word  of  the 
agonized  appeal,  is  to  invoke  upon  oneself  the  divine 
displeasure  meted  out  to  those  who  disregard  the 
cry  of  “him  that  had  none  to  help  him.”  These 
lines  are  written  with  deep  emotion  ; the  blinding 
tears  which  fall  upon  the  page  are  the  saddest  tears 
my  eyes  have  ever  wept. 

From  childhood  I had  been  familiar  with  the  state- 
ments concerning  the  condition  of  the  native  women 
of  India.  My  sympathies  had  always  been  with 

1 


11 


Introduction. 


them,  and  my  annual  offering  to  the  treasury  of  mis- 
sionary societies  which  worked  among  them,  had 
never  been  omitted ; but  in  September,  1883,  there 
came  to  my  door  a little  lady  in  a blue  cotton  saree, 
accompanied  by  her  faithful  friend,  Mrs.  B.  F.  Car- 
penter, of  Roselle,  New  Jersey",  and  since  that  hour, 
when,  speechless  for  very  wonder,  I bestowed  a kiss 
of  welcome  upon  the  stranger’s  cheek  in  lieu  of 
words,  I have  loved  the  women  of  India.  The  little 
lady  was  Mrs.  Anandibai  Joshee.  Less  than  three 
months  ago,  the  wealthy  and  conservative  city  of 
Poona,  India,  which  gave  her  birth,  was  stirred  as 
never  before  to  honor  a woman,  and  amid  the  pomp 
of  Brahmanical  funeral  rites  performed  by  orthodox 
Hindu  priests,  her  funeral  pile  was  lighted  from  the 
sacred  fire,  in  the  presence  of  a great  throng  of  sor- 
rowing Hindus.  She  sealed  with  her  early  death  the 
superhuman  effort  to  elevate  her  country-women  and 
to  minister  in  her  own  person  to  their  physical 
needs. 

To  witness  Dr.  Joshee’s  graduation  in  medicine, 
there  came  to  Philadelphia  from  England  her  kins- 
woman, Pundita  Ramabai  Sarasvati.  The  two  ladies 
never  met  until  they  greeted  each  other  under  ^y 
roof,  IMarch  6th,  1886 ; but,  as  kindred  spirits,  they 
had  corresponded  for  several  3-ears.  Strangely  enough, 
each  left  India  without  the  knowledge  of  the  other, 
and  within  the  same  month,  Mrs.  Joshee  sailing  from 
Calcutta  and  the  Pundita  from  Bombay.  The  day 
that  Mrs.  Joshee  left  Liverpool  for  New  York,  Rama- 
bai and  her  little  daughter  landed  in  England.  The 
reception  of  the  two  ladies  in  the  summer  of  1883, 
one  in  England  and  the  other  in  the  United  States, 
was  most  cordial ; and,  comforted  and  blessed  as  nei- 
ther had  dared  to  anticipate  before  leaving  India, 
each  settled  down  to  work  with  industry  and  with 


Introduction. 


Ill 


a degree  of  intelligence  which  was  a revelation  to  on- 
lookers. 

]\I3^  own  personal  experience  relates  to  her  who  fell 
to  our  lot  in  the  college  in  Philadelphia.  She  tried 
faithfully,  this  little  woman  of  eighteen,  to  prosecute 
her  studies,  and  at  the  same  time  to  keep  caste-rules 
and  cook  her  own  food  ; but  the  anthracite  coal-stove 
in  her  room  was  a constant  vexation,  and  likewise  a 
source  of  danger ; and  the  solitude  of  the  individual 
house-keeping  was  overwhelming.  In  her  father’s 
house,  the  congregate  system,  referred  to  in  this 
book,  prevailed ; and,  being  a man  of  means,  the 
family  was  alwaj^s  large.  Later,  when  under  her  hus- 
band’s care,  he  had  been  in  the  postal  ser\dce,  and 
the  dwelling  apartments  were  in  the  same  building 
with  the  post-office ; hence  she  had  never  known 
complete  solitude.  After  a trial  of  two  weeks,  her 
health  declined  to  such  an  alarming  extent  that  I 
invited  her  to  pay  a short  visit  in  my  home,  and  she 
never  left  it  again  to  dwell  elsewhere  in  Philadelphia 
during  her  student  residence.  In  the  performance  of 
college  duties,  going  in  and  out,  and  up  and  down, 
always  in  her  measured,  quiet,  dignified,  patient  way, 
she  has  filled  ever^"  room,  as  well  as  the  stairways 
and  halls,  with  memories  which  now  hallow  the 
home,  and  must  continue  so  to  do  throughout  the 
years  to  come. 

In  the  spring  of  1884,  Mrs.  Joshee  accepted  an  in- 
vitation to  address  an  audience  of  ladies  convened  for 
a missionary  anniversar}',  and  she  chose  as  her  sub- 
ject “Child  Marriage,’’  and  surprised  her  great  audi- 
ence by  defending  the  national  custom.  If  there  are 
any  who  still  cherish  the  feelings  of  disappointment 
and  regret  engendered  that  April  afternoon,  let  them 
turn  to  Ramabai’s  chapter  on  Married  Life  in  this 
book,  and  learn  how  absolutelj"  impossible  it  was  for 


IV 


Introductio7i, 


a high-caste  Hindu  wife  to  speak  otherwise,  het 
them  also  discover,  in  the  herculean  attempt  of  that 
occasion,  a clue  to  the  influences  which  at  len  g"  th 
overpowered  and  slew  this  gentle,  grave  woman. 

“I  will  go  (to  America)  as  a Hindu,  and  come 
back  and  live  among  my  people  as  a Hindu.” 
Brave,  patriotic  words  ! a resolve  which  was  carried 
out  to  the  death.  Ramabai’s  chapter  on  Married 
Rife,  the  married  life  of  a Hindu  woman  in  the  year 
1887,  no  less  than  in  past  centuries,  reveals  to  the 
Western  reader  what  it  was  for  this  refined,  intellec- 
tual woman,  whose  faculties  developed  rapidly  under 
Western  opportunities,  and  whose  scientific  acquire- 
ments placed  her  high  in  rank  among  her  peers 
in  the  college  class,  to  accept  again  the  position 
awarded  her  b}^  the  Code  of  Manu  (Manu  ix.  22  ; see 
page  40).  That  she  did  accept  it,  that  “until  death 
she  was  patient  of  hardships,  self-controlled,  . . . and 
strove  to  fulfill  that  most  excellent  duty  which  is 
prescribed  for  wives,”  is  undoubted.  She  battled 
hand  to  hand  with  every  circumstance,  resolved,  as  a 
Hindu,  to  live  and  work  for  the  uplifting  of  her 
sisters,  but  all  in  vain  ! 

After  3’ears  of  exile,  she  found  herself  once  more  in 
the  familiar  places  of  her  childhood,  surrounded  by 
her  mother  and  maternal  grandmother  and  sisters. 
She  had  returned  to  them  too  late  to  admit  of  the  re- 
storation of  her  appetite  by  the  nourishing  food  their 
skillful  hands  knew  how  to  prepare  ; but  in  love  thej’' 
watched  beside  her,  and  it  was  the  dear  mother’s  priv- 
ilege to  support  the  daughter  in  her  arms  when  at 
midnight  the  end  came  quickl3^  This  occurred  Febru- 
ar3^  26th,  1887,  in  the  cit3"  of  Poona,  in  the  house  in 
which  she  was  born.  Previous  to  the  cremation  of  the 
bod3^  which  took  place  the  morning  following  her 
death,  her  husband  had  a photograph  taken  of  “mat- 


Introduction. 


V 


I 

ter  before  it  was  transformed  into  vapor  and  ashes.” 
The  pathos  of  that  lifeless  form  is  indescribable.  The 
last  of  several  pictures,  taken  during  the  brief  public 
career  of  the  little  reformer,  it  is  the  most  eloquent  of 
them  all.  The  mute  lips,  and  the  face,  wan  and  wasted 
and  prematurely  aged  in  the  fierce  battle  with  sorrow 
and  pain,  alike  convey  to  her  American  friends  this 
message,  not  to  be  forgotten  : “I  have  done  all  that 
I could  do.”  Ah  ! who  will  thus  early  dare  to  say 
that  she  has  not  accomplished  more  by  her  death 
than  she  might  have  accomplished  by  a long  life.^ 
Herself  and  husband  returned  from  a foreign  land, 
where  they  had  dwelt  with  a strange  people,  ought, 
by  Hindu  custom,  to  have  been  treated  as  outcasts, 
and  their  shadows  shunned.  Instead,  when  it  was 
known  that  the  distinguished  young  Hindu  doctor 
had  reached  her  early  home,  old  and  young,  ortho- 
dox and  non-orthodox,  came  to  pay  friendl}"  visits 
and  to  extend  a cordial  welcome. 

Even  the  reformers  were  astounded  when  they  be- 
held the  manner  in  which  the  travelers  were  treated 
by  the  most  orthodox  families.  The  papers  from  day 
to  day  chronicled  the  state  of  the  invalid’s  health, 
and  when  at  length  she  passed  away,  several  of  the 
journals  of  Poona  printed  in  the  vernacular,  contained 
under  symbols  of  mourning,  eulogistic  notices  of  her 
character  and  work.  Ramabai  has  translated  two  of 
these  for  me,  and  from  them  I make  extracts : 


“Dr.  Anandibai  Joshee  has  left  us  to  abide  in  the 
next  world  ; but  the  example  she  has  set  will  not  be 
fruitless.  It  is  indeed  wonderful  that  a Brahman  lady 
has  proved  to  the  world  that  the  great  qualities — per- 
severance, unselfishness,  undaunted  courage  and  an 
eager  desire  to  serve  one’s  country — do  exist  in  the 
so-called  weaker  sex.  We  ought  as  a people  to  do 
something  that  will  remind  us  of  her  and  bear  wit- 


VI 


hitroduction. 


ness  forever  to  her  wondrous  virtues  ; in  our  opinion, 
this  debt  of  gratitude  to  Anandibai  cannot  be  better 
discharged  than  by  providing  a lad}^,  who  will  be 
willing  to  study  medicine,  with  all  the  pecuniary  aid 
necessary.  Thus  may  the  memor^^  of  the  late  dis- 
tinguished lady  be  perpetuated.”  — Kesari^  February 
27,  1887. 

“One  of  the  great  and  grievous  losses  which  our 
unfortunate  Hindustan  incessantly  sustains  was  wit- 
nessed by  Poona,  we  grieve  to  say,  on  Saturday  last, 
when  Dr.  Anandibai  Joshee  was  summoned  from  this 
world  late  in  the  midnight.  She  has  been  residing  in 
Poona  for  the  last  two  months  ; she  came  hither  in 
the  hope  that  her  native  city,  which  has  many  re- 
nowned physicians  residing  in  it,  might  prove  for  her 
a healthy  place,  and  that  the  pleasant  weather  and 
home  influences  would  all  contribute  towards  improv- 
ing her  health.  The  hopeful  expectations  of  her 
countrywomen,  who  had  looked  forward  to  the  day 
when  they  would  be  benefited  by  Dr.  Joshee’s  remark- 
able ability  and  well-earned  knowledge,  are  now  wholly 
dissipated.” 

“Although  Anandibai  was  so  3'oung,  her  persever- 
ance, undaunted  courage  and  devotion  to  her  husband 
were  unparalleled.  We  think  it  will  be  long  before 
we  shall  again  see  a woman  like  her  in  this  countr}-. 
We  do  not  hesitate  to  sa\*  that  Dr.  Joshee  is  worthy 
of  a high  place  on  the  roll  of  historic  women  who 
have  striven  to  serve  and  to  elevate  their  native  land. 

The  education  that  she  had  received  had 
greatly  heightened  her  nature  and  ennobled  her  mind. 
Although  she  suffered  more  than  words  can  express 
from  her  mortal  disease,  phthisis,  not  a word  either 
of  complaint  or  impatience  escaped  her  lips  at  any  time. 
After  months  of  dreadful  suffering  she  was  reduced 
to  skin  and  bone,  and  every  one  that  looked  at  her 
could  not  but  be  greatly  pained ; 3^et,  wonderful  to 
relate,  Anandibai  thought  it  her  present  duty  to  suffer 
silently  and  cheerfulh^  . . . After  the  picture  was 

taken,  her  relatives  bathed  the  body  and  decked  it 
with  bright  garments  and  ornaments,  according  to 
Hindu  cUvStom.  There  was  no  time  to  spread  the  sad 
news  throughout  the  city,  but  as  many  as  heard  it 


Introduction. 


VII 


accompanied  her  remains  to  the  cremation  ground, 
thus  showing  the  respectful  affection  they  felt  for 
her.  Some  people  had  feared  that  the  priests  might 
raise  objections  to  cremating  her  body  in  the  sacred 
fire,  according  to  the  Hindu  rites ; but  these  fears 
proved  groundless.  Not  only  on  the  occasion  of  her 
cremation,  but  earlier  during  her  lifetime,  when  her 
husband  offered  sacrifices  to  the  gods  and  the  guard- 
ian planets  to  avert  their  anger  and  her  death,  the 
priests  showed  no  sign  of  any  prejudice  against 
them ; they  gladly  officiated  in  the  religious  sacrifices, 
thus  affording  a remarkable  proof  of  their  advanced 
views.  After  the  body  was  placed  upon  the  funeral 
pile  Mr.  V.  M.  Ranade  made  an  oration  in  Dr.  Joshee’s 
honor,  and  the  cremation  was  then  completed  without 
hindrance.” — Dnyana  Chakshu^  March  2nd^  1887. 


The  general  public  interest  in  the  person  and  work 
of  Dr.  Joshee  is  a sufficient  reason  for  presenting  in 
this  introductory  chapter  the  above  details,  which 
have  not  elsewhere  been  given  to  her  American 
friends.  Pundita  Ramabai,  her  beloved  and  trusted 
kinsw^oman,  still  lives  to  perform,  not  her  identical 
work,  but  to  prosecute  the  general  disenthrallment  of 
Hindu  women,  concerning  the  ultimate  accomplish- 
ment of  which  Dr.  Joshee  cherished  invincible  faith. 
Greatly  bereaved,  her  fond  hopes  of  a congenial  sup- 
porter and  an  efficient  helper  in  India  suddenly  dashed 
to  the  ground,  Ramabai  toils  on  with  a heroic  single- 
ness of  purpose.  It  is  in  the  prosecution  of  this  one 
supreme  object  of  helping  her  countrywomen  to  a 
better  and  higher  life  that  this  little  book  has  been 
written.  In  her  contact  with  American  philanthro- 
pists and  educators,  during  the  year  of  her  sojourn 
in  the  United  States,  Ramabai  has  found  popular 
ideas  concerning  the  women  of  India  erroneous,  and 
it  is  to  correct  these,  and  also  to  reveal  fully  their 
needs,  that  the  following  chapters  have  been  prepared. 

She  has  written  in  the  belief  that  if  the  depths  of 


VIll 


hitroductioK. 


the  thralldom  in  which  the  dwellers  in  Indian  zena- 
nas are  held  by  cruel  superstition  and  social  customs 
were  only  fathomed,  the  light  and  love  in  American 
homes,  which  have  so  comforted  her  burdened  heart, 
might  flow  forth  in  an  overwhelming  tide  to  bless  all 
Indian  women.  The  task  of  preparing  The  High-caste 
Hindu  Woman  has  not  been  for  her  a congenial  one. 
She  is  not  by  nature  an  iconoclast.  She  loves  her 
nation  with  a pure,  strong  love.  But  her  love  has 
reached  the  height  where  it  is  akin  to  the  motive  of 
the  skillful  surgeon  : she  dares  to  inflict  pain  because 
she  regards  pain  as  affording  the  only  sure  means  of 
relief.  She  is  satisfied,  moreover,  that  India  cannot 
arise  and  take  her  place  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth  until  she,  too,  has  mothers  ; until  the  Hindu 
zenana  is  transformed  into  the  Hindu  home,  where 
the  united  family  can  have  “pleasant  times  to- 
gether” (see  p.  48). 

The  experiment  of  bringing  the  existing  condition 
of  high-caste  Hindu  women  to  the  test  of  codes  of 
sacred  law,  it  is  believed,  was  never  before  attempted. 
The  reader  will  bear  in  mind,  as  she  cons  the  care- 
fully selected  texts  from  the  Code  of  Manu  which 
abound  throughout  the  volume,  that  these  are  sen- 
tences too  sacred  for  feminine  lips  to  utter,  and  that 
few  women  in  India  have  ever  heard  them,  much 
less  have  beheld  them  with  their  own  eyes.  Even 
Ananta  Shastri,  liberal  as  he  was  in  his  views  con- 
cerning the  education  of  women,  withheld  the  sacred 
texts  from  his  wife  and  daughters.  The  Sanskrit 
literature  accessible  to  them,  consisted  of  poems  not 
associated  with  sacred  rites  and  ceremonies.  Rama- 
bai  never  saw  a copy  of  the  Code  of  Manu  until  after 
her  scholastic  attainments  had  been  publicly  recog- 
nized in  Calcutta. 

She  has  exercised  great  care  in  securing  correctness 


I- 

0 


Introduction,  ix 

in  her  quotations,  diligently  comparing  translations, 
where  more  than  one  were  available,  and  in  some 
cases  making  the  translation  herself  from  the  original 
Sanskrit.  The  general  statements  throughout  the 
book  may  be  relied  upon  for  their  accuracy.  Should 
the  volume  reach  India,  these  statements  will  undoubt- 
edly be  assailed  as  untruthful  and  sacrilegious,  and 
possibly  there  may  be  persons  in  the  United  States 
who  will  strive  to  create  this  impression  ; but  Rama- 
bai’s  desire  to  speak  the  truth  is  only  equalled  by 
her  determination  to  let  in  the  full  blaze  of  day  upon 
effete  customs  and  perilous  usages.  She  has  withheld 
nothing  essential  that  her  wide  experience  through- 
out India  has  revealed  to  her.  She  does  not  print 
this  information  for  the  purpose  of  reputation  or  of 
gain,  but  because  taught,  as  she  believes,  by  the  Di- 
vine Spirit,  that  the  revelation  will  stir  the  hearts  of 
those  who  read  the  story  to  deeds  of  rescue  and  relief. 

There  are  readers  -who,  upon  the  title-page  of  this 
book,  will  see  the  Pundita’s  name  for  the  first  time, 
and  all  such  will  naturally  inquire.  Who  is  she  ? 
In  view  of  the  fact,  that  she  seeks  to  assume  grave 
responsibilities  before  the  American  public  this  ques- 
tion is  legitimate,  and  therefore,  at  the  risk  of  grow- 
ing tedious,  I will  endeavor  to  make  answer.  It  is 
a weird  beginning  of  a life-sketch  to  ask  the  in- 
quirer to  turn  to  page  37  and  read  of  an  occurrence, 
in  the  early  morning,  on  the  banks  of  the  sacred 
river  Godavari.  The  fine-looking  man  who  came  to 
the  river-side  to  bathe  was  the  learned  Ananta  Shastri, 
and  the  little  girl  of  nine,  whom  he  carried  away  the 
day  following  as  his  child-bride,  was  Ramabai’s  mo- 
ther. This  Brahman  pundit,  who  “well  and  tenderly 
cared  for  the  little  girl  beyond  all  expectation,’’  was 
a native  of  the  Mangalore  district  in  Western  India. 


X 


Introduction, 


In  his  boyhood,  when  about  ten  years  of  age,  he  had 
been  married,  and  had  brought  his  child-bride  to  his 
mother’s  house  and  committed  the  little  girl  to  her 
keeping.  He,  however,  w^as  possessed  with  a desire 
for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  attracted  by  the 
fame  of  Raniachandra  Shastri,  a distinguished  scholar, 
who  dwelt  in  Poona,  he  early  made  his  way  thither, 
and  sought  his  instruction.  This  eminent  Brahman 
had  been  emplo5’ed  by  the  reigning  Peshwa  to  visit 
his  palace  statedl}^,  and  give  Sanskrit  lessons  to  a fa- 
vorite wife.  The  student  Ananta  was  privileged  to 
accompany  his  teacher,  and,  thus  going  in  and  out 
of  the  palace,  he  occasionally  heard  the  lad}'-  reciting 
Sanskrit  poems. 

The  boy  was  filled  with  wonder  that  a woman 
should  be  so  learned,  and  as  time  wore  on,  astonish- 
ment gave  place  to  admiration  of  her  learning,  and 
he  resolved  that  he  would  teach  his  little  wife  just  as 
the  Shastri  taught  the  fair  Rani  of  the  palace.  Plis 
student-life  ended  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and  he 
hastened  to  his  native  village  to  incorporate  education 
with  his  duties  as  a householder.  But  the  bride  had 
no  desire  to  be  instructed  ; his  mother  and  all  the  elders 
of  the  family  demurred,  and  the  husband  was  compelled 
to  desist.  The  married  life  went  on,  children  were  born 
to  the  5"oung  couple,  and  at  length  the  v/ife  died. 
The  wddower  had  not  forgotten  the  Peshwa’ s palace 
in  Poona  and  the  Sanskrit  poems,  and  he  resolved  to 
begin  his  next  experiment  early. 

We  learn  from  the  printed  page  how  he  accepted 
the  little  bride  of  nine  who  was  offered  to  him,  and 
carried  her  to  his  distant  home  ; there  he  delivered 
her  to  his  mother,  and  immediatel}^  began  to  teach 
her  Sanskrit.  But  the  elders  of  the  household  ob- 
jected as  before  ; the  little  wife  was  too  young  to  have 
a voice  in  the  matter,  and  the  husband  resolved  that 


Introduction. 


XI 


the  experiment  of  the  girl’s  education  should  be 
faithfully  carried  out.  He  therefore  left  the  valley 
and  civilization  below  him,  and  journeyed  upward 
with  his  young  wife  to  the  forest  of  Gungamul,  on 
a remote  plateau  of  the  Western  Ghauts,  and  literally 
in  the  jungle,  took  up  his  abode.  Ramabai  relates 
as  a memory’  of  her  childhood  her  mother’s  recital  of 
how  the  first  night  was  spent  in  the  sylvan  solitude, 
without  shelter  of  any  kind.  A great  tiger  came  with 
the  darkness,  and  from  across  a ravine,  made  the 
night  hideous  with  its  cries.  The  little  bride  wrapped 
herself  up  tight  in  her  pasodi  (cotton  quilt)  and  lay 
upon  the  ground  convulsed  with  terror,  while  the 
husband  kept  watch  until  daybreak,  when  the  hungry 
beast  disappeared.  The  wild  animals  of  the  jungle 
were  all  about  them,  and  hourly  terrified  the  lonely 
little  girl ; but  the  lessons  went  on  without  hindrance, 
and  day  hy  day  the  wife,  Lakshmibai,  grew  in  stature 
and  in  knowledge.  A rude  dwelling  was  constructed, 
and  after  a few  3*ears  little  children  came  to  the  home 
in  the  forest, — one  son  and  two  daughters.  The  father 
devoted  himself  to  the  education  of  the  son  and  elder 
daughter,  and  also  to  that  of  young  men  who,  as  stu- 
dents, sought  out  the  now  famous  Brahman  priest, 
whose  dwelling-place  in  the  mountains,  at  the  source 
of  one  of  the  rivers,  was  regarded  as  sacred,  and  hence 
a place  of  pilgrimage  for  the  pious.  When  Rama- 
bai, the  youngest  child,  was  born,  in  April,  1858,  the 
father  was  quite  too  much  occupied  to  instruct  her, 
and,  moreover,  he  w’as  growing  old.  Upon  her  mother, 
therefore,  devolved  the  instruction  in  Sanskrit. 

The  resident  students  and  the  visiting  pilgrims  and 
the  aged  father  and  mother-in-law,  now  members 
of  the  famil^^,  as  well  as  the  children  of  the  house- 
hold, entailed  many  cares  upon  the  educated  Hindu 
mother,  and  the  only  time  that  could  be  found  for  the 


Xll 


hitroduction. 


little  daughter’s  lessons  was  in  the  morning  twilight, 
before  the  toilsome  day  had  dawned.  Ramabai  recalls 
with  emotion  that  early  instruction  while  held  in  her 
dear  mother’s  arms.  The  little  maiden,  heavy  with 
sleep,  was  tenderly  lifted  from  her  bed  upon  the  earth, 
and  wakened  with  many  endearments  and  sweet 
mother- words  ; and  then,  while  the  birds  about  them 
in  the  forest  chirped  their  morning  songs,  the  lessons 
were  repeated,  no  other  book  than  the  mother’s  lips 
being  used.  It  is  these  lessons  of  the  early  morning, 
statedly  renewed  with  each  recurrent  day,  that  con- 
stitute the  fountain-head  of  the  ‘ ‘ sweet  influences  and 
able  instruction”  which,  in  the  dedicatory  page  of  this 
book,  the  author  characterizes  as  “the  light  and  guide 
of  my  life.” 

But  this  was  a Hindu  home,  not  an  American  home 
where  such  kindly  care  and  wise  parental  love  would 
have  borne  for  the  parents  refreshing  fruit  in  their  old 
age.  The  father,  under  the  iron  rule  of  custom,  had 
given  his  elder  daughter  in  marriage  when  very  young, 
and  upon  pages  62  and  63  we  learn  the  nature  of  the 
sorrows  which  overtook  the  family  ; previous  to  this, 
however,  the  popularity  of  the  Shastri  as  a teacher, 
and  his  sacred  locality  in  the  wilderness,  had  in- 
volved him  in  debt ; for  guests  must  be  fed  and  duties 
enjoined  by  religion  performed,  at  whatever  pecuniary 
loss.  The  half  of  his  landed  property  in  his  native 
village,  which  was  to  be  the  portion  of  the  son  by  the 
second  wife,  was,  with  the  son’s  consent,  sold  to  dis- 
charge the  debts,  and  then  the  family,  homeless,  set 
out  upon  pilgrimages.  It  is  difflcult  for  the  Western 
reader,  with  whom  the  word  home  is  inseparable  from 
family  existence,  to  realize  that  this  Hindu  family 
were  thus  emplo^^ed  seven  years,  Ramabai  being  nine 
years  of  age  when  they  set  out. 

But  all  the  while  as  this  Marathi  priest  and  his  wife 


Introduction. 


Xlll 

and  children  wandered  from  one  sacred  locality  to  the 
next,  having  no  certain  dwelling-place,  the  early  morn- 
ing lessons  were  continued,  and  Ramabai,  developing 
rare  talent,  became,  under  the  instructions  of  father 
and  mother,  “a  prodigy  of  erudition.”  Engrossed  in 
her  studies,  she  was  allowed  to  remain  single  until  the 
age  of  sixteen,  when,  within  a month  and  a half  of 
each  other,  her  parents  died. 

“From  my  earliest  years,”  Ramabai  states,  “I  al- 
ways had  a love  of  books.  Though  I was  not  formally 
taught  Marathi,  yet  hearing  my  father  and  mother 
speak  it  and  being  in  the  habit  of  reading  newspapers 
and  books  in  that  language,  I acquired  a correct 
knowledge  of  it.  In  this  manner  I acquired  also  the 
knowledge  of  Kanarese,  Hindustani  and  Bengali  while 
traveling  about.  My  father  and  mother  did  not  do 
with  me  as  others  were  in  the  habit  of  doing  with  their 
daughters,  i.  e.,  throw  me  into  the  well  of  ignorance 
by  giving  me  in  marriage  in  my  infancy.  In  this  my 
parents  were  both  of  one  mind.”  When  death  invaded 
the  pilgrim  household,  the  father,  bowed  with  age  and 
now  totally  blind  for  several  years,  was  taken  first ; in 
six  weeks  the  mother  followed.  The  poverty  of  the 
family  was  extreme ; consequently.  Brahmans  could 
not  be  secured  to  bear  the  remains  to  the  burning- 
ghat,  which  was  three  miles  distant  from  the  scene  of 
the  mother’s  death.  At  length  two  Brahmans  were 
found  who  took  pity  upon  them,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  these  men,  the  devoted  son  and  daughter  them- 
selves carried  the  precious  burden  to  the  distant  place 
of  cremation,  Ramabai’s  low  stature  compelling  the 
bearing  of  her  share  of  the  burden  upon  her  head. 
Why  do  I recount  this  passage  of  nameless  woe.^ 
Why?  Because  we  American  women,  in  our  own 
homes,  have  never  before  looked  into  the  face  of  one 
upon  whom  a ministry  of  sorrow  so  overwhelming  as 


XIV 


Introduction. 


this  has  been  laid,  and  we  need,  in  our  prosperity, 
to  realize  that  God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations 
of  men.  The  lovely  woman  who  writes  this  book  in 
the  city  of  Philadelphia  and  the  beloved  mother  to 
whom  she  dedicates  it  were  in  the  forest  of  Gungamul 
and  in  the  later,  dusty  paths  of  pilgrimage  alike  des- 
titute of  the  true  knowledge  of  God  ; but,  in  their 
great  spiritual  darkness,  they  ministered  to  and  mu- 
tually loved  and  cherished  each  other  with  that  mater- 
nal and  filial  affection  which  is  the  same  the  world 
over. 

After  the  death  of  the  parents  and  the  elder  sister, 
Ramabai  and  her  brother  continued  to  travel.  They 
visited  manj'-  countries  on  the  great  continent  of  India, 
the  Punjab,  Rajputana,  the  Central  Provinces,  Assam, 
Bengal  and  ^Madras,  and,  as  pilgrims,  were  often  in 
want  and  distress.  They  spent  their  time  in  advo- 
cating female  education,  i.  e..  that  before  marriage 
high-caste  Hindu  girls  should  be  instructed  in  San- 
skrit and  in  their  vernacular,  according  to  the  ancient 
Shastras. 

When,  in  their  journeying,  they  at  length  reached 
Calcutta,  the  5"oung  Sanskrit  scholar  and  lecturer  cre- 
ated a sensation  by  her  advanced  views  and  her 
scholarship.  She  was  summoned  before  the  assembled 
pundits  of  the  capital  city ; and  as  a result  of  their 
examination  the  distinguished  title  of  Sarasvati  w’as 
publicly  conferred  upon  her  b}"  them.  Soon  after,  her 
brother  died.  “His  great  thought  during  his  brief 
illness,”  she  writes,  “was  for  me;  what  would  be- 
come of  me  left  alone  in  the  world  ? When  he  spoke 
of  his  anxiety,  I answered : ‘ There  is  no  one  but  God 
to  care  for  you  and  me.’  ‘Ah,’  he  answered,  ‘then 
if  God  cares  for  us,  I am  afraid  of  nothing.’  And, 
indeed,  in  my  loneliness,  it  seemed  as  if  God  was  near 
me;  I felt  His  presence.”  “After  six  months  I mar- 


Introduction, 


XV 


ried  a Bengali  gentleman,  Bipin  Bihari  Medhavi,  M.A., 
B.Iv.,  a Vakil  and  a graduate  of  the  Calcutta  Univer- 
sity. But  we  neither  of  us  believed  either  in  Hin- 
duism or  Christianity,  and  so  we  w^ere  married  with 
the  civil  marriage  rite.  . . . After  nineteen  months 
of  happy  married  life,  my  dear  husband  died  of  cholera. 
This  great  grief  drew  me  nearer  to  God.  I felt  that  He 
w^as  teaching  me,  and  that  if  I was  to  come  to  Him, 
He  must  Himself  draw  me.”  A few  months  before  the 
husband’s  death  a little  daughter  was  bom  in  the 
happy  home — a daughter  greatly  desired  by  both  father 
and  mother  before  her  birth,  and  hence,  she  found  a 
beautiful  name  awaiting  her, — Manorama  {Heart's  Joy). 

The  widow  Ramabai  now  returned  to  her  former  oc- 
cupation as  a lecturer.  It  became  her  especial  mission 
to  advocate  the  cause  of  Hindu  women,  according  to 
what  she  believed  to  be  the  true  rendering  of  the  an- 
cient Shastras,  in  opposition  to  the  degraded  notions 
of  modern  times.  Her  earnestness  and  enthusiasm 
gained  her  many  admirers,  among  whom  was  Dr.  W. 
W.  Hunter,  prominently  connected  with  the  British 
educational  interests  of  India.  He  thought  her  career 
and  the  good  she  was  doing  so  well  worthy  of  admira- 
tion that  he  made  her  the  subject  of  a lecture  delivered 
in  Edinburgh. 

“When  I spoke,”  says  Dr.  Hunter,  “of  a high-caste 
Indian  lady  being  thus  employed,  that  great  English 
audience  rose  as  one  man  and  applauded  the  efforts 
which  the  Pundita  Ramabai  was  making  on  behalf  of 
her  countrywomen.”  Henceforth  her  name  was  well 
known  in  England,  as  well  as  in  India,  to  all  who  were 
interested  in  the  social  amelioration  of  the  people  of 
Hindustan. 

With  a view  to  improve  the  degraded  condition  of 
her  countrywomen,  she  formed  in  Poona  a society  of 
ladies,  known  as  the  Ary  a Mahila  Somaj,  whose  ob- 


XVI 


Introduction. 


ject  v/as  the  promotion  of  education  among  native 
women,  and  the  discouragement  of  child-marriage. 
She  then  went  from  city  to  city  throughout  the  Bom- 
bay Presidency,  establishing  branch  societies  and  arous- 
ing the  people  by  her  eloquent  appeals.  When  the 
English  Education  Commission  visited  Poona  in  Sep- 
tember, 1882,  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  the  educa- 
tional institutions  of  that  city,  the  leading  Brahman 
ladies,  members  of  the  newly-formed  society  and  others, 
to  the  number  of  about  three  hundred,  assembled  with 
their  children  in  the  Town  Hall,  to  welcome  the  Com- 
mission and  to  show  them  that,  although  the  munici- 
pality had  not  encouraged  girls’  schools,  a genuine 
movement  was  being  inaugurated  by  the  best  families 
of  the  INIarathi  country.  Pundita  Ramabai  was  the 
orator  of  the  occasion. 

Dr.  Hunter,  as  President  of  the  Education  Commis- 
sion, made  Ramabai  the  prominent  figure  among  the 
many  noteworthy  persons  who  were  examined  before 
him  during  that  visit.  He  regarded  her  evidence  as  of 
so  much  importance  that  he  caused  it  to  be  translated 
from  the  INIarathi  and  separately  printed.  K copy  of 
this  India  print  is  before  me  as  I write.  There  are 
three  questions,  viz.  : — 

Question  i. — State  what  opportunities  you  have  had  of  forming  an 
opinion  on  the  subject  of  Education  in  India,  and  in  what  province 
your  experience  has  been  gained? 


Here  follows,  in  reply,  a brief,  but  remarkably  clear, 
narrative  of  her  parentage,  her  father’s  views,  those  of 
her  brother,  also  a statement  in  regard  to  her  husband, 
and  the  vicissitudes  of  her  life ; all  of  which,  she 
stated,  had  afforded  her  many  opportunities  of  form- 
ing an  opinion  on  the  subject  of  Female  Education  in 
different  provinces  of  India.  She  closes  thus  : — 


“ I am  the  child  of  a man  who  had  to  suflFer  a great  deal  on  account 


Introduction 


xvii 


of  advocating  Female  Education,  and  who  was  compelled  to  discuss 
the  subject,  as  well  as  to  carry  out  his  own  views,  amidst  great  oppo- 
sition. ...  I consider  it  my  duty,  to  the  very  end  of  my  lite,  to 
maintain  this  cause,  and  to  advocate  the  proper  position  of  women 
in  this  land.” 


Question  2. — What  is  the  best  method  of  providing  teachers  for  girls  ? 

Ansiver  2. — It  appears  to  me  evident  that  the  women  who  are  to  be- 
come teachers  of  others  should  have  a special  training  for  that  work. 
Besides  having  a correct  knowledge  of  their  own  language,  they  ought 
to  acquire  English.  Whether  those  training  to  be  female  teachers  are 
married  or  unmarried,  or  widows,  they  ought  to  be  correct  in  their 
conduct  and  morals,  and  they  ought  also  to  be  of  respectable  families. 
They  ought  to  be  provided  with  good  scholarships.  Teachers  of  girls 
also  ought  to  have  higher  salaries  than  those  of  boys,  as  they  should  be 
of  a superior  character  and  position.  The  students  should  live  in  the 
college  compound,  so  as  to  have  their  manners  and  habits  improved, 
and  there  ought  to  be  a large  building  with  every  appliance  for  the 
comfort  of  the  teachers  and  students.  They  ought  to  have  a native  lady 
of  good  position  over  them.  Mere  learning  is  not  enough  ; the  conduct 
and  morals  of  the  students  should  be  attended  to. 

Question  3. — What  do  you  regard  as  the  chief  defects,  other  than  any 
to  which  you  have  already  referred,  that  experience  has  brought  to  light 
in  the  educational  system  as  it  has  been  .hitherto  administered?  What 
suggestions  have  you  to  make  for  the  remedy  of  such  defects  ? 

Answer  3. — There  ought  to  be  female  inspectresses  over  female 
schools.  These  ought  to  be  of  the  age  of  thirty  or  upwards,  and  of  a 
very  superior  class,  and  highly  educated,  whether  Native  or  European. 
Male  inspectors  are  unsuitable  for  the  following  rea.sons  : — (1)  The  wo- 
men of  this  country  are  very  timid.  If  a male  inspector  goes  into  a 
female  school,  all  the  women  and  girls  are  thrown  into  confusion,  and 
are  unable  to  speak.  The  inspector  seeing  this  state  of  things  will 
write  a bad  report  of  the  school  and  teachers,  and  so  in  all  probability 
Government  will  appoint  a male  teacher  for  that  school,  and  so  the 
school  will  not  have  the  advantage  of  a female  teacher.  As  the  educa- 
tion of  girls  is  different  from  that  of  boys,  female  schools  ought  to  be  in 
the  hands  of  female  teachers.  (2)  The  second  reason  is  this.  In  ninety- 
nine  cases  out  of  a hundred,  the  educated  men  of  this  country  are  op- 
posed to  Female  Education  and  the  proper  position  of  woman.  If  they 
observe  the  slightest  fault,  they  magnify  the  grain  of  mustard-seed  into 
a mountain,  and  try  to  ruin  the  character  of  a woman  ; often  the  poor 
woman,  not  being  very  courageous,  and  well  informed,  her  character  is 
completely  broken.  Men  being  more  able  to  reach  the  authorities  are 
believed,  while  women  go  to  the  wall.  Both  should  be  alike  to  a pa- 
rental Government,  whose  children,  male  and  female,  should  be  treated 
with  equal  justice.  It  is  evident  that  women,  being  one-half  of  the 
people  of  this  country,  are  oppressed  and  cruelh'  treated  by  the  other 
half.  To  put  a stop  to  this  anomaly  is  worthy  of  a good  Government. 
Another  suggestion  I would  make  is  with  regard  to  lady-doctors. 
Though  in  Hindustan  there  are  numbers  of  gentleman-doctors,  there 
are  no  ladies  of  that  profession.  The  women  of  this  country  are  much 
more  reserved  than  in  other  countries,  and  most  of  them  would  rather 
die  than  speak  of  their  ailments  to  a man.  The  want  of  lady-doctors  is, 
therefore,  the  cause  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  women  dying  prema- 
ture deaths.  I would,  therefore,  earnestl5r  entreat  of  our  Government 
to  make  provision  for  the  study  of  medicine  by  women,  and  thus  .save 
the  lives  of  those  multitudes.  The  want  of  lady-doctors  is  one  vei^ 
much  felt  and  is  a great  defect  in  the  Education  of  the  women  of  this 
country. 


xviii  Introduction. 

The  answers  to  these  questions  are  introduced  in  full, 
as  bearing  valuable  and  ample  testimony  to  the  char- 
acter, and  the  position  before  the  public,  of  Ramabai  in 
her  own  country.  Upon  the  authority  of  the  Thnes 
of  India  ^ it  may  be  stated  that  her  plea  for  women-phy- 
sicians  before  the  Commission,  in  September,  1882,  (See 
Answer  3),  is  believed  to  have  attracted  the  attention 
of  her  gracious  Majesty,  the  Queen-Empress,  and  to 
have  been  indirectly  the  origin  of  the  movement  in 
Hindustan  which,  in  its  latest  developments,  has 
reached  the  noble  proportions  of  The  National  Associa- 
tion for  Supplying  Female  Medical  Aid  to  the  Women 
of  India,  popularly  known  as  the  “ Countess  of  Dulferin 
Movement,”  from  its  distinguished  president,  the  wife 
of  the  Viceroy  of  India. 

Ramabai  now  realized  that  she  herself  needed  per- 
sonal training  to  enable  her  to  prosecute  with  success 
her  work  among  the  women  of  India  in  behalf  of  edu- 
cation. Then,  too,  as  she  had  in  her  experience  be- 
come conscious  of  God’s  guidance,  her  spirit  was  pos- 
sessed of  that  unrest  which  is  the  solemn  movement 
of  the  soul  Godward,  seeking  ‘‘theEord  if  haply  she 
(they)  might  feel  after  Him  and  find  Him.”  ” I felt  a 
restless  desire  to  go  to  England,”  she  writes.  ” I could 
not  have  done  this  unless  I had  felt  that  my  faith  in 
God  had  become  strong  : it  is  such  a great  step  for  a 
Hindu  woman  to  cross  the  sea  ; one  cuts  oneself  al- 
ways off  from  one’s  people.  But  the  voice  came  to 
me  as  to  Abraham.  ...  It  seems  to  me  now  very 
strange  how  I could  have  started  as  I did  with  my 
friend  and  little  child  throwing  myself  on  God’s  pro- 
tection. I went  forth  as  Abraham,  not  knowing 
whither  I went.  When  I reached  England,  the  Sis- 
ters in  St.  Mary’s  Home  at  Wantage  kindly  received 
me.  There  I gradually  learned  to  feel  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  and  to  see  that  it  is  a philosophy,  teach- 


Introduction. 


XIX 


ing  truths  higher  than  I had  ever  known  in  all  our  sys- 
tems ; to  see  that  it  gives  not  only  precepts,  but  a per- 
fect example  ; that  it  does  not  give  us  precepts  and  an 
example  only,  but  assures  us  of  divine  grace,  by  which 
we  can  follow  that  example.”  True  to  her  honest  na- 
ture, she  acted  promptly  upon  her  convictions  and  em- 
braced Christianity,  and  she  and  her  little  daughter 
were  baptized  in  the  Church  of  England,  September 
29th,  1883.  Henceforth  she  devoted  herself  to  edu- 
cational work.  The  first  year  was  spent  at  Wantage 
in  the  study  of  the  English  language,  which  hitherto 
had  been  unknown  to  her.  Acquiring  this,  she 
entered,  September,  1884,  the  Ladies’  College  at  Chel- 
tenham, where  a position  was  assigned  her  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Sanskrit.  Her  unoccupied  time  was  spent  as 
a student  of  the  college,  in  the  study  of  mathematics, 
natural  science,  and  English  literature.  Her  opportu- 
nities at  Cheltenham  College  were  of  the  highest  order, 
and  the  influence  of  the  noble  Christian  women  with 
whom  she  was  associated,  both  there  and  at  Wantage, 
was  most  refined  and  salutary  in  its  character.  She 
made  rapid  progress  in  her  studies,  and  a possible  Gov- 
ernment educational  appointment  in  India  loomed  up 
in  the  near  future,  when  an  invitation  reached  her  to 
witness  Mrs.Joshee’s  graduation  in  medicine  in  Phila- 
delphia, March  nth,  1886. 

That  ‘‘holy  land  called  America”  had  long  held  at- 
tractions for  her,  and  these  were  now  heightened  by 
the  presence  and  work  of  her  beloved  kinswoman. 
After  some  weeks  of  painful  indecision,  she  decided  to 
accept  the  invitation,  her  sole  reason  for  allowing  her 
studies  to  be  interrupted  thus  inopportunely  being 
her  thorough  conviction  that  it  was  her  duty  in  the 
interests  of  her  countrywomen  to  visit  America  at 
that  time.  In  February,  1886,  she  again  embarked 
upon  an  unknown  sea,  accompanied  by  her  young 


XX 


Introduction. 


daughter,  then  nearly  five  3^ears  of  age.  Her  residence 
in  America  and  her  public  service  here  have  been 
widely  chronicled  in  the  daily  and  weekly  journals, 
and  are  not  therefore  a matter  of  private  record.  In 
the  beginning  she  expected  to  return  to  England  after 
a brief  vacation,  and  there  resume  her  studies  ; but, 
as  the  genius  of  American  institutions  was  revealed 
through  personal  inspection,  her  interest  grew,  and 
she  decided  to  prolong  her  stay.  In  midsummer  she 
wrote:  “I  am  deeply  impressed  by  and  am  interested 
in  the  work  of  Western  women,  who  seem  to  have  one 
common  aim,  namely,  the  good  of  their  fellow-beings. 
It  is  my  dream  some  day  to  tell  my  countrywomen  in 
their  own  languages  this  wonderful  stor^^,  in  the  hope 
that  the  recital  may  awaken  in  their  hearts  a desire  to 
do  likewise.”  As  her  contact  with  a public  educational 
S3'stem  which  included  girls  as  well  as  boys  was  pro- 
longed, her  old  desire  to  benefit  her  countrywomen  by 
founding  schools  which  combined  the  training  of  the 
hand  with  that  of  the  head  revived,  and  forsaking  plans 
which  regarded  only  the  higher  education  of  the  few" 
w"omen  in  government  high-schools  or  colleges  in  India, 
she  concentrated  her  thoughts  upon  native  schools 
founded  by  and  for  native  women . Early  in  her  resi- 
dence in  Philadelphia  she  met  Miss  Anna  Hallo w"ell, 
prominently  identified  with  the  Sub-Primary  School 
Society  (free  kindergartens)  of  the  city.  This  distin- 
guished lad^’-  kindly  accompanied  her  to  several  of 
the  kindergartens,  and  explained  methods  to  her  with 
care,  and  also  the  principles  upon  w’hich  the  sj-stem 
w-as  based.  Ramabai’s  enthusiasm  w-as  aroused  as 
she  saw  in  FroebePs  teaching  w"ondrous  possibilities 
for  her  little  wfidow’S.  Purchasing  wfithout  delay  the 
most  approved  text-books  and  the  “gifts,”  she  set  her- 
self to  work  to  translate  into  Indian  thought  the  games 
and  tokens  of  the  S3^stem,  in  order  that  she  might 


Introduction. 


XXI 


adapt  it  to  Hindu  needs.  In  September,  1886,  she 
promptly  enrolled  herself  as  a student  in  a kindergar- 
ten training-school,  and,  as  her  public  duties  have  per- 
mitted, she  has  faithfully  pursued  the  course  of  study 
throughout  the  scholastic  year  just  ending.  Ameri- 
can school-books  were  a revelation  to  her  in  the  beauty 
of  their  illustrations  and  of  their  letter-press  and  the 
quality  of  the  paper  upon  which  they  are  printed.  In 
July.  1886,  she  set  herself  to  work  upon  a series  of 
Marathi  school-books  for  girls,  modeled  after  the  Amer- 
ican idea,  beginning  with  a primer  and  continuing 
regularly  up  to  a reader  of  the  sixth  grade.  She  was 
enthusiastic  as  to  results,  designing  to  illustrate  with 
American  wood-cuts,  although  the  printing  would  ne- 
cessarily be  delayed  until  Bombay  is  reached,  on  ac- 
count of  the  Marathi  type  required.  The  primer  was 
soon  finished,  and  much  of  the  material  for  the  reading 
books  prepared,  when  a prudent  investigation  was  in- 
stituted as  to  the  cost  of  illustrations,  and  the  stern 
fact  revealed  that  the  charming  pictures  were  far  too 
expensive  to  be  dreamed  of  for  her  books. 

Thus  the  case  stands  June  ist,  1887.  Pundita  Rama- 
bai,  the  high-caste  Brahman  woman,  the  courageous 
daughter  of  the  forest,  educated,  refined,  rejoicing  in 
the  liberty  of  the  Gospel,  and  yet  by  preference  retain- 
ing a Hindu’s  care  as  regards  a vegetable  diet,  and 
the  peculiarities  of  the  dress  of  Hindu  widowhood, 
solemnly  consecrated  to  the  work  of  developing  self- 
help  among  the  women  of  India,  has  her  school-books 
nearly  ready  for  the  printer,  her  plans  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a school,  such  as  she  describes  on  page  1 14, 
well  developed,  and  two  teachers  (American  ladies, 
one  a graduated  kindergartner)  secured.  Tickets  for 
herself  and  teachers  might  be  taken  for  India  at  once, 
and  as  a result  of  the  strong  reaction  which  the  un- 
timely death  of  Dr.  Joshee  has  set  up,  Ramabai,  outcast 


xxii 


hitroduction. 


though  she  is  among  her  own  people,  might  inaugurate, 
under  favorable  auspices,  her  work  among  the  child- 
widows. 

But  the  money  is  wantmg.  In  1793,  when  William 
Carey,  the  first  English  missionary  to  Asia,  was  about 
to  set  sail  for  India,  he  said  to  those  about  him,  “ I wall 
go  down  into  the  deep  mine,  but  remember  that  you 
must  hold  the  ropes.”  As  I close  this  chapter,  the 
longing  fills  my  soul  that  among  the  favored  women 
of  this  Christian  land  there  might  be  found  a sufficient 
number  to  hold  the  ropes  for  Ramabai,  making  it  pos- 
sible for  her  to  go  out  quickly  to  her  God-inspired  work. 
It  must  not  be  a fitful  benefaction  of  a few  hundred  or 
even  of  a few  thousand  dollars,  but  a steady  holdmg  on 
to  the  ropes,  for  a period  of  not  less  than  ten  years. 
Thej"  must  not  be  let  go  while  she  in  the  throes  of  a 
death-struggle  with  superstition  and  caste  prejudice, 
and  feminine  unwillingness  to  rise,  is  fastened  to  the 
India  end. 

A decade  of  years  ago,  no  sane  woman  would  have 
presumed  to  appeal  to  the  women  and  young  girls  of 
this  land  to  engage  in  a project  such  as  this  of  Ramabai, 
as  I now  do.  But  how  rapidly  we  are  moving  on  in 
these  last  da^^s  ! We  read  in  prophecy  that  ‘ ‘ the  earth 
shall  be  made  to  bring  forth  in  one  da}*,”  and  ‘‘a  na- 
tion shall  be  bom  at  once  ;”  and  another  sure  word  is 
written,  ‘‘the  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  His 
power.”  When  in  that  great  Hindu  nation  about  to 
come  to  the  birth,  the  women  are  moved  to  arise  in 
their  degradation,  and  themselves  utter  the  feeble  cr}'-, 
‘‘  Help  or  we  perish  ! ” it  cannot  be  otherv*ise  than  that 
a corresponding  multitude  of  women  must  be  found 
elsewhere,  willing,  in  the  day  of  God’s  power,  to  send 
the  help. 

There  have  long  been  in  eveiy^  community,  women 
who  are  not  in  accord  with  the  so-called  missionary 


Introductio7t. 


XXlll 


societies,  and  who  never  contribute  to  the  enlighten- 
ment or  to  the  material  aid  of  Oriental  women.  Rama- 
bai’s  boarding-school  for  child-widows,  primarily  an 
educational  scheme,  may  be  safely  taken  up  by  such, 
and  while  they  organize,  and  after  the  manner  of  the 
women’s  boards  of  the  churches,  through  a great  net- 
work of  auxiliary  societies,  prosecute  with  growing 
interest  and  zeal  their  child-widow  school  work,  mis- 
sionary w^ork  so-called,  may  be  continued  by  the  socie- 
ties of  every  denomination,  each  according  to  its  own 
methods,  the  treasuries  of  all  being  alike  full. 

The  Pundita  bears  witness,  in  public  and  in  private,  to 
the  good  accomplished  in  the  East  by  missionary  lady- 
teachers,  and  it  is  her  earnest  desire  not  to  affect  unfa- 
vorably in  any  manner,  however  remote,  either  the 
treasury  or  the  work  of  church  societies.  She  seeks  to 
reach  Hindu  women  as  Hindus,  to  give  them  liberty 
and  latitude  as  regards  religious  convictions  ; she  would 
make  no  condition  as  to  reading  the  Bible  or  studying 
Christianity  ; but  she  designs  to  put  within  their  reach 
in  reading-books  and  on  the  shelves  of  the  school 
library,  side  by  side,  the  Bible  and  the  Sacred  books  of  the 
Easty  and  for  the  rest,  earnestly  pray  that  God  will 
guide  them  to  His  saving  truth. 

It  is  roughly  computed  that  Ramabai  will  need  about 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  to  fully  inaugurate  the  work 
of  her  first  school  and  five  thousand  dollars  annually 
afterwards  during  the  ten  years  for  which  she  asks  help. 

So  easy  is  it  to  plan,  so  difficult  to  execute  ! Ram- 
abai herself  offers  a reasonable  means  by  which  the 
collection  of  this  sum  may  be  commenced,  in  the  pre- 
sentation of  this,  her  only  American  book  to  the  public. 
It  has  been  privately  printed,  in  order  that  the  entire 
profits  may  accrue  to  her ; in  the  hope  of  a possible 
large  sale,  the  pages  have  been  copyrighted  and  elec- 
trotyped.  If,  therefore,  every  American  woman  who, 


XXIV 


Introduction. 


at  any  time  during  the  last  twelvemonth,  has  taken 
Ramabai  b3^  the  hand,  every  college  student  who  has 
heard  the  Pundita  speak  in  college  halls,  every  reader 
of  this  book  whose  heart  has  been  stirred  to  compas- 
sion by  the  perusal  of  its  sorrowful  pages,  will  at  once 
purchase  a copy  of  the  book  and  induce  a friend  to  do 
the  same,  each  reader  being  responsible  for  the  sale  of 
one  copy,  the  work  is  done,  and  the  large  fund  needed 
to  prepay  three  passages  to  India,  to  purchase  the  illus- 
trative material  for  the  school-rooms,  to  illustrate  and 
print  the  school-books,  and  secure  the  needed  school- 
property  in  India,  is  at  once  assured. 

Ramabai  has  come  into  my  library  to  bid  me  fare- 
well, previous  to  her  setting  out  on  a journey"  of  a 
few  da>^s.  I asked  her  as  she  arose  to  depart,  if  she 
had  a last  message  for  the  readers  of  her  book.  ‘ ‘ Re- 
mind them,”  she  replied,  with  animated  counten- 
ance and  rapid  speech,  as  she  clasped  my  hand  “that 
it  was  ‘ out  of  Nazareth  ’ that  the  blessed  Redeemer  of 
mankind  came  ; that  great  reforms  have  again  and 
again  been  wrought  by  instrumentalities  that  the  world 
despised.  Tell  them  to  help  me  educate  the  high-caste 
child-widows  ; for  I solemnly  believe  that  this  hated 
and  despised  class  of  w^omen,  educated  and  enlight- 
ened, are,  by  God’s  grace,  to  redeem  India  !’’ 


1400  North  21st  St.,  Philadelphia, 
June  ist,  1887. 


R.  L.  B. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

Prefatory  Remarks, i 

CHAPTER  II. 

CHIEDHOOD, 12 

CHAPTER  HI. 

Married  Life, 29 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Woman’s  Peace  in  Reeigion  and  Society,  ....  50 

CHAPTER  V. 

Widowhood, 69 

CHAPTER  VI. 

How  THE  Condition  of  Women  Teees  upon  Society,  94 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Appeae, 107 


THE 

HIGH-CASTE  HINDU  WOMAN. 


PREFATORY  REMARKS. 

In  order  to  understand  the  life  of  a Hin- 
du woman,  it  is  necessar}^  for  the  foreign 
reader  to  know  something  of  the  religion  and 
the  social  customs  of  the  Hindu  nation.  The 
population  of  Hindustan  numbers  two  hund- 
red and  fifty  millions,  and  is  made  up  of  Hin- 
dus, Mahometans,  Eurasians,  Europeans  and 
Jews  ; more  than  three-fifths  of  this  vast  popu- 
lation are  professors  of  the  so-called  Hindu 
religion  in  one  or  the  other  of  its  forms. 
Among  these  the  religious  customs  and  orders 
are  essentially  the  same ; the  social  customs 
differ  slightly  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 


I 


2 


The  High- Caste  Hindu  Womaji. 


but  they  have  an  unmistakable  similarity  un- 
derlying  them. 

The  religion  of  the  Hindus  is  too  yast  a 
subject  to  be  fully  treated  in  a few  para- 
graphs ; it  may  be  briefly  stated,  howeyer,  some- 
what thus  : — All  Hindus  recognize  the  Vedas 
and  other  apocr^^phal  books  as  the  canonical 
scriptures.  They  belieye  in  one  supreme  spirit, 
Paramatma,  which  is  pure,  passionless,  omni- 
present, holy  and  formless  in  its  essence,  but 
when  it  is  influenced  by  Maya,  or  illusion,  it 
assumes  form,  becomes  male  and  female,  creates 
eyery  thing  in  the  uniyerse  out  of  its  own 
substance.  A Hindu,  therefore,  does  not  think 
it  a sin  to  worship  riyers,  mountains,  heayenly 
bodies,  creatures,  etc.,  since  they  are  all  con- 
substantial  with  God  and  manifestations  of  the 
same  spirit.  Any  one  of  these  manifestations 
may  be  selected  to  be  the  object  of  deyotion, 
according  to  a man’s  own  choice  ; his  fayorite 
diyinity  he  will  call  the  supreme  ruler  of  the 
uniyerse,  and  the  others  gods,  seryants  of  the 
supreme  ruler. 


Prefatory  Remarks. 


3 


Hindus  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  inasmuch  as  it  is  consubstantial  with 
God ; man  is  rewarded  or  punished  according 
to  his  deeds.  He  undergoes  existences  of  dif- 
ferent descriptions  in  order  to  reap  the  fruit 
of  his  deeds.  When  at  length  he  is  free  from 
the  consequences  of  his  action,  which  he  can 
be  by  knowing  the  Great  Spirit  as  it  is  and 
its  relation  to  himself,  he  is  then  re-absorbed 
into  the  spirit  and  ceases  to  be  an  individual  ; 
just  as  a river  ceases  to  be  different  from  the 
ocean  when  it  flows  into  the  sea. 

According  to  this  doctrine,  a man  is  liable 
to  be  born  eight  million  four  hundred  thous- 
and times  before  he  can  become  a Brahman 
(first  caste),  and  except  one  be  a Brahman  he 
is  not  fit  to  be  re-absorbed  into  the  spirit,  even 
though  he  obtain  the  true  knowledge  of  the 
Paramatma.  It  is,  therefore,  necessary  for  every 
person  of  other  castes  to  be  careful  not  to 
transgress  the  law  by  any  imprudent  act,  lest 
he  be  again  subjected  to  be  born  eight  million 
four  hundred  thousand  times.  A Brahman 


4 The  High- Caste  Hindu  Wo7nan. 

must  incessantly  try  to  attain  to  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  supreme  knowledge,  for  it  is  his 
last  chance  to  get  rid  of  the  misery  of  the 
long  series  of  earthly  existences ; the  least 
trifling  transgression  of  social  or  religious  rules 
however  renders  him  liable  to  the  degradation 
of  perpetual  births  and  deaths. 

These,  with  the  caste  beliefs,  are  the  chief 
articles  of  the  Hindu  creed  at  the  present 
day.  There  are  a few  heterodox  Hindus  who 
deny  all  this  ; they  are  pure  theists  in  their 
belief,  and  disregard  all  idolatrous  customs. 
These  Bramos,  as  they  are  called,  are  doing 
much  good  by  purifying  the  national  religion. 

As  regards  social  customs,  it  may  be  said 
that  the  daily  life  and  habits  of  the  people 
are  immensely  influenced  by  religion  in  India. 
There  is  not  an  act  that  is  not  performed 
religiously  by  them  ; a humorous  author  has 
said,  wdth  some  truth,  that  “the  Hindus  even 
sin  religiously.”  The  rising  from  the  bed  in 
the  morning,  the  cleaning  of  teeth,  washing 
of  hands  and  bathing  of  the  body,  the  w^ear- 


Prefatory  Remarks. 


5 


ing  of  garments,  lighting  the  fire  or  the  lamp, 
eating  and  drinking  and  every  act  of  similar 
description,  is  done  in  a prescribed  manner, 
and  with  the  utterance  of  prayers  or  in  pro- 
found silence.  Each  custom,  when  it  is  old 
enough  to  be  entitled  ‘ ‘ the  way  of  the  an- 
cients,” takes  the  form  of  religion  and  is 
scrupulously  observed.  These  customs,  founded 
for  the  most  part  on  tradition,  are  altogether 
independent  of  the  canonical  writings,  so  much 
so  that  a person  is  liable  to  be  punished,  or 
even  excommunicated,  for  doing  a deed  for- 
bidden by  custom,  even  though  it  be  sanc- 
tioned by  religion. 

For  example,  eating  the  food  prepared  by 
persons  of  an  inferior  caste  is  not  only  not 
forbidden  by  the  sacred  laws,  but  is  sanctioned 
by  them.* 

At  the  present  day,  however,  time-honored 

* “ Pure  men  of  the  first  three  castes  shall  prepare  the 
food  of  a householder”  (Brahman  or  other  high  caste). 

"Or  Shudras  (servile  caste)  may  prepare  the  food  under 
the  superintendence  of  men  of  the  first  three  castes.” — 
Apastamba  II.  2,  3.  i.  4. 


6 The  High- Caste  Hindti  Woma?t. 

custom  overrules  the  ancient  laws,  and  says 
that  a person  must  not  eat  anything  cooked 
nor  drink  water  polluted  by  the  touch  of  a 
person  of  inferior  caste.  Hindus  transgressing 
this  rule  instantly  forfeit  their  caste,  and  must 
undergo  some  heavy  penance  to  regain  it. 

Without  doubt,  “caste”  originated  in  the 
economical  division  of  labor.  The  talented  and 
most  intelligent  portion  of  the  Aryan  Hindus 
became,  as  was  natural,  the  governing  body 
of  the  entire  race.  They,  in  their  wisdom, 
saw  the  necessity  of  dividing  society,  and  sub- 
sequently set  each  portion  apart  to  undertake 
certain  duties  which  might  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  nation.  The  priesthood  (Brahman 
caste)  were  appointed  to  be  the  spiritual  gov- 
ernors over  all,  and  were  the  recognized  head 
of  society.  The  vigorous,  warlijre  portion  of 
the  people  (Kshatriya,  or  warrior  caste)  was 
to  defend  the  countiy^,  and  suppress  crime  and 
injustice  by  means  of  physical  strength ; as- 
sisted by  the  priesthood,  they  were  to  be  the 
temporal  governors  in  the  administration  of 


Prefatory  Remarks.  * 7 

justice.  The  business-loving  tradesmen  and 
artisans  (Vaisya,  or  trader  caste)  had  also  an 
important  position  assigned  under  the  pre- 
ceding classes  or  castes.  The  fourth,  or  servile 
class  (Shudra  caste)  was  made  up  of  all  those 
not  included  in  the  preceding  three  castes.  In 
ancient  times  persons  were  assigned  to  each 
of  the  four  castes  according  to  their  individual 
capacity  and  merit,  independent  of  the  acci- 
dent of  birth. 

Tater  on,  when  caste  became  an  article  of 
the  Hindu  faith,  it  assumed  the  formidable  pro- 
portions which  now  prevail  ever^^where  in  In- 
dia. A son  of  a Brahman  is  honored  as  the 
head  of  all  castes,  not  because  of  his  merit, 
but  because  he  was  born  into  a Brahman 
family.  Intermarriage  of  castes  was  once  re- 
cognized as  lawful,  even  after  caste  by  inheri- 
tance had  been  acknowledged,  provided  that 
a woman  of  superior  caste  did  not  marry  a 
man  of  an  inferior  caste ; but  now  law 
is  overruled  by  custom.  Intermarriages  can- 
not take  place  without  involving  serious 


8 TJie  High^Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

consequences,  and  making  the  offenders  out- 
casts. 

The  four  principal  castes  * are  again  divided 
into  clans  ; men  belonging  to  high  clans  must 
not  give  their  daughters  in  marriage  to  men  of 
low  clans.  To  transgress  this  custom  is  to 
lose  family  honor,  caste  privileges,  and  even 
intercourse  with  friends  and  relatives. 

Besides  the  four  castes  and  their  clans  there 
are  numerous  castes  called  collectively,  ‘ ‘ mixed 
castes  ’ ’ formed  by  the  intermarriage  of  mem- 
bers of  the  preceding  ; their  number  is  again 
increased  by  castes  according  to  employment, 
as  scribe,  tanner,  cobbler,  shoemaker,  tailor, 
etc.,  etc.  Even  the  outcasts,  such  for  exam- 
ple as  the  sweeper,  have  their  own  distinc- 
tions, as  powerful  among  themselves  as  are 

*“  There  are  four  castes — Brahmanas,  Kshatriyas,  Vais- 
yas,  and  Shudras.” 

“Amongst  these,  each  preceding  caste  is  superior  by 
birth  to  the  one  following.” — Apasiamba  I.  i,  i,  3,  4. 

“The  Brahmana,  the  Kshatriya  and  the  Vaisya  castes 
are  the  twice-born  ones,  but  the  fourth,  the  Shudra,  has 
one  birth  only;  there  is  no  fifth  caste.” — Manu  X.  4. 


Prefatory  Remarks. 


9 


those  of  the  high  castes.  Transgressors  of 
caste  rules  are,  from  the  highest  to  the  low- 
est, subject  to  excommunication  and  severe 
punishment.  Offenders  by  intermarriage,  or 
change  of  faith,  are  without  redemption.  It 
must  also  be  borne  in  mind,  that  if  a Brah- 
man condescends  to  marry  a person  of  lower 
caste,  or  eats  and  drinks  with  any  of  them,  he 
is  despised  and  shunned  as  an  outcast,  not 
only  by  his  own  caste,  but  also  by  the  low- 
caste  with  whose  members  he  has  entered  into 
such  relation.  The  low-caste  people  will  look 
upon  this  Brahman  as  a lawless  wretch.  So 
deeply  rooted  is  this  custom  in  the  heart 
of  every  orthodox  Hindu  that  he  is  not  in 
any  way  offended  by  the  disrespect  shown 
him  by  a high  caste  man,  since  he  recognizes 
in  it  only  what  is  ordered  by  religion.  For, 
although  ‘ ‘ caste  ’ ’ is  confessedly  an  outgrowth 
of  social  order,  it  has  now  become  the  first 
great  article  of  the  Hindu  creed  all  over  India. 
Thoughtful  men  like  Buddha,  Nanak,  Chai- 
tanya  and  others  rebelled  against  this  tyran- 


I o The  High-  Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

nical  custom,  and  proclaimed  the  gospel  of 
social  equality  of  all  men,  but  ‘ ‘ caste  ’ ’ proved 
too  strong  for  them.  Their  disciples  at  the 
present  day  are  as  much  subject  to  caste  as 
are  any  other  orthodox  Hindus.  Even  the 
]\Iahomedans  have  not  escaped  this  tyrant ; 
they,  too,  are  divided  into  several  castes,  and 
are  as  strict  as  the  Hindus  in  their  observ- 
ances. Over  a million  Hindu  converts  to 
Christianity,  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  are  more  or  less  ruled  by  caste.  The 
Protestant  missionaries,  likewise,  found  it  diffi- 
cult in  early  days  to  overcome  caste  prejudice 
among  their  converts,  and  not  many  years 
ago,  in  the  Madras  presidency,  clerg^^men  were 
compelled  to  use  different  cups  for  each  sepa- 
rate caste  when  they  celebrated  the  Eord’s 
Supper. 

The  Vedas  are  believed  by  the  devout  Hin- 
du to  be  the  eternal,  self-existing  Word  of 
God,  revealed  by  Him  to  different  sages.  Be- 
sides the  Vedas  there  are  more  than  twenty- 
five  books  of  sacred  law,  ascribed  to  different 


Prefatory  Remarks,  1 1 

inspired  authors  who  wrote  or  compiled  them 
at  various  times,  and  on  which  are  based  the 
principal  customs  and  religious  institutes  of 
the  Hindus.  Among  these,  the  code  of  Manu  * 
ranks  highest,  and  is  believed  by  all  to  be 
very  sacred,  second  to  none  but  the  Vedas 
themselves. 

Although  Manu  and  the  other  law-givers 
dilBfer  greatly  on  many  points,  they  all  agree  on 
things  concerning  women.  According  to  this 
sacred  law  a woman’s  life  is  divided  into  three 
parts,  viz  : — ist.  Childhood  ; 2nd,  Youth  or 
married  life  ; 3rd,  Widowhood  or  old  age. 


Note. — The  translations  of  the  sacred  texts  quoted 
throughout  this  work  are  those  found  in  the  well-known 
''Sacred  Books  of  the  Eastf  edited  by  Prof  Max  Muller y 
Clarendon  Press y Oxford. 


12 


The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CHIIvDHOOD. 

Although  the  code  of  Manu  contains  a sin- 

% 

gle  passage  in  which  it  is  written  ‘ ‘ A daugh- 
ter is  equal  to  a son,”  (See  Manu  ix.,  130), 
the  context  expressly  declares  that  equality  to 
be  founded  upon  the  results  attainable  through 
her  son  ; the  passage  therefore  cannot  be  re- 
garded as  an  exception  to  the  statement  that 
the  ancient  code  establishes  the  superiority  of 
male  children.  A son  is  the  most  coveted  of 
all  blessings  that  a Hindu  craves,  for  it  is  by 
a son’s  birth  in  the  family  that  the  father  is 
redeemed. 


“Through  a son  he  conquers  the  worlds,  through  a 


Childhood. 


13 


son’s  son  he  obtains  immortality,  but  through  his  son’s 
grandson  he  gains  the  world  of  the  sun.” — Manu,  ix.,  137. 

“There  is  no  place  for  a man  (in  Heaven)  who  is  desti- 
tute of  male  offspring.” — Vasishtha,  xvii.  2. 

If  a man  is  sonless,  it  is  desirable  that  he 
should  have  a daughter,  for  her  son  stands  in 
the  place  of  a son  to  his  grandfather,  through 
whom  the  grandfather  may  obtain  salvation. 


“ Between  a son’s  son  and  the  son  of  a daughter  there 
exists  in  this  world  no  difference  ; for  even  the  son  of  a 
daughter  saves  him  who  has  no  sons,  in  the  next  world, 
like  the  son’s  son.” — Manu,  ix.  139. 

In  Western  and  Southern  India  when  a girl 
or  a woman  salutes  the  elders  and  priests, 
they  bless  her  with  these  words — “ Mayst  thou 
have  eight  sons,  and  may  thy  husband  survive 
thee.”  In  the  form  of  a blessing  the  deity  is 
never  invoked  to  grant  daughters.  Fathers 
very  seldom  wish  to  have  daughters,  for  they 
are  thought  to  be  the  property  of  somebody 
else ; besides,  a daughter  is  not  supposed  to 
be  of  any  use  to  the  parents  in  their  old  age. 
Although  it  is’  necessary  for  the  continuance  of 


14  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

the  race  that  some  girls  should  be  born  into 
the  world,  it  is  desirable  that  their  number 
by  no  means  vshould  exceed  that  of  the  boys. 
If  unfortunately  a wife  happens  to  have  all 
daughters  and  no  son,  Mann  authorizes  the 
husband  of  such  a woman  to  supersede  her 
with  another  in  the  eleventh  year  of  their 
marriage.  * 

In  no  other  country  is  the  mother  so  laden 
with  care  and  anxiety  on  the  approach  of 
childbirth  as  in  India.  In  most  cases  her  hope 
of  winning  her  husband  to  herself  hangs  solely 
on  her  bearing  sons. 

Women  of  the  poorest  as  well  as  of  the 
richest  families,  are  almost  invariably  sub- 
jected to  this  trial.  Many  are  the  sad  and 
heart-rending  stories  heard  from  the  lips  of 
unhappy  women  who  have  lost  their  husband’s 
favor  by  bringing  forth  daughters  only,  or  by 
having  no  children  at  all.  Never  shall  I for- 
get a sorrowful  scene  that  I witnessed  in  my 
childhood.  When  about  thirteen  years  of  age 


Childhood. 


15 


I accompanied  my  mother  and  sister  to  a royal 
harem  where  they  had  been  invited  to  pay  a 
visit.  The  Prince  had  four  wives,  three  of 
whom  were  childless.  The  eldest  having  been 
blessed  with  two  sons,  was  of  course  the  favor- 
ite of  her  husband,  and  her  face  beamed  with' 
happiness. 

We  were  shown  into  the  nursery  and  the 
royal  bed-chamber,  where  signs  of  peace  and 
contentment  were  conspicuous.  But  oh  ! what 
a contrast  to  this  brightness  was  presented  in 
the  apartments  of  the  childless  three.  Their 
faces  were  sad  and  careworn  ; there  seemed  no 
hope  for  them  in  this  world,  since  their  lord 
was  displeased  with  them,  on  account  of  their 
misfortune. 

A lady  friend  of  mine  in  Calcutta  told  me 
that  her  husband  had  warned  her  not  to  give 
birth  to  a girl,  the  first  time,  or  he  would  never 
see  her  face  again,  but  happily  for  this  wife 
and  for  her  husband  also,  she  had  two  sons 
before  the  daughter  came.  In  the  same  family 
there  was  another  woman,  the  sister-in-law  of 


1 6 The  High-Caste  Hindu  Woma^i. 

my  friend,  whose  first-bom  had  been  a daugh- 
ter. She  longed  unceasingly  to  have  a son, 
in  order  to  win  her  husband’s  favor,  and  when 
I went  to  the  house,  constantly  besought  me 
to  foretell  whether  this  time  she  should  have  a 
‘ son  ! Poor  woman  ! she  had  been  notified  by 
her  husband  that  if  she  persisted  in  bearing 
daughters  she  should  be  superseded  by  another 
wife,  have  coarse  clothes  to  wear  and  scanty 
food  to  eat,  should  have  no  ornaments,  save 
those  which  are  necessary  to  show  the  exis- 
tence of  a husband,  and  she  should  be  made 
the  drudo^e  of  the  whole  household.  Not  un- 
frequently,  it  is  asserted,  that  bad  luck  attends 
a girl’s  advent,  and  poor  superstitious  mothers 
in  order  to  avert  such  a catastrophe,  attempt 
to  convert  the  unborn  child  into  a boy,  if  un- 
happily it  be  a girl. 

Rosaries  used  by  mothers  of  sons  are  pro- 
cured to  pray  with  ; herbs  and  roots  celebrated 
for  their  virtue  are  eagerly  and  regularly  swal- 
lowed ; trees  and  son-giving  gods  are  devoutly 
worshipped.  There  is  a curious  ceremony,  hon- 


Childhood. 


17 


ored  with  the  name  of  “sacrament,”  which  is 
administered  to  the  mother  between  the  third 
and  the  fourth  month  of  her  pregnancy  for 
the  purpose  of  converting  the  embryo  into  a 
boy. 

In  spite  of  all  these  precautions  girls  will 
come  into  Hindu  households  as  ill-luck,  or 
rather  nature,  will  have  it.  After  the  birth  of 
one  or  more  sons  girls  are  not  unwelcome, 
and  under  such  circumstances,  mothers  very 
often  • long  to  have  a daughter.  And  after 
her  birth'  both  parents  lavish  love  and  ten- 
derness upon  her,  for  natural  affection,  though 
modified  and  blunted  by  cruel  custom,  is  still 
strong  in  the  parent’s  heart.  Especially  may 
this  be  the  case  with  the  Hindu  mother.  That 
maternal  affection,  sweet  and  strong,  before 
which  “there  is  neither  male  nor  female,” 
asserts  itself  not  unfrequently  in  Hindu  homes, 
and  overcomes  selfishness  and  false  fear  of 
popular  custom.  A loving  mother  will  sacri- 
fice her  own  happiness  by  braving  the  dis- 
pleasure of  her  lord,  and  will  treat  her  little 
2 


4 


1 8 The  High-  Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

daughter  as  the  best  of  all  treasures.  Such 
heroism  is  truly  praiseworthy  in  a woman  ; 
any  country  might  be  proud  of  her.  But  alas  ! 
the  dark  side  is  too  conspicuous  to  be  passed 
over  in  silence. 

In  a home  shadowed  by  adherence  to  cruel 
custom  and  prejudice,  a child  is  born  into  the 
world  ; the  poor  mother  is  greatly  distressed 
to  learn  that  the  little  stranger  is  a daughter, 
and  the  neighbors  turn  their  noses  in  all  di- 
rections to  manifest  their  disgust  and  indigna- 
tion at  the  occurrence  of  such  a phenomenon. 
The  innocent  babe  is  happily  unconscious  of 
all  that  is  going  on  around  her,  for  a time  at 
least.  The  mother,  who  has  lost  the  favor  of 
her  husband  and  relatives  because  of  the  girl’s 
birth,  may  selfishly  avenge  herself  by  show- 
ing disregard  to  infantile  needs  and  slighting 
babyish  requests.  Under  such  a mother  the 
baby  soon  begins  to  feel  her  misery,  although 
she  does  not  understand  how  or  why  she  is 
caused  to  suffer  this  cruel  injustice. 

If  a girl  is  born  after  her  brother’s  death. 


Childhood, 


19 


or  if,  soon  after  her  birth,  a boy  in  the 
family  dies,  she  is  in  either  case  regarded  by 
her  parents  and  neighbors  as  the  cause  of  the 
boy’s  death.  She  is  then  constantly  addressed 
with  some  unpleasant  name,  slighted,  beaten, 
cursed,  persecuted  and  despised  by  all.  Strange 
to  say,  some  parents,  instead  of  thinking  of 
her  as  a comfort  left  to  them,  find  it  in  their 
hearts,  in  the  constant  manifestation  of  their 
grief  for  the  dear  lost  boy,  to  address  the  inno- 
cent girl  with  words  such  as  these:  “Wretched 
girl,  why  didst  thou  not  die  instead  of  our 
darling  boy?  Why  didst  thou  crowd  him  out 
of  the  house  by  coming  to  us  ; or  why  didst 
not  thou  thyself  become  a boy ?”  “It  would 
have  been  good  for  all  of  ns  if  thou  hadst 
died  and  thy  brother  lived  !”  I have  myself 
several  times  heard  parents  say  such  things  to 
their  daughters,  who,  in  their  turn,  looked 
sadly  and  wonderingly  into  the  parents’  faces, 
not  comprehending  why  such  cruel  speeches 
should  be  heaped  upon  their  heads  when  they 
had  not  done  any  harm  to  their  brothers. 


20  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

If  there  is  a boy  remaining  in  the  family,  all 
the  caresses  and  sweet  words,  the  comforts  and 
gifts,  the  blessings  and  praises  are  lavished 
upon  him  by  parents  and  neighbors,  and  even 
by  servants,  who  fully  sympathize  with  the 
parents  in  their  grief.  On  every  occasion  the 
poor  girl  is  made  to  feel  that  she  has  no  right 
to  share  her  brother’s  good  fortune,  and  that 
she  is  an  unwelcome,  unbidden  guest  in  the 
family. 

Brothers,  in  most  cases,  are,  of  course,  very 
proud  of  their  superior  sex  ; they  can  know  no 
better  than  what  they  see  and  hear  concerning 
their  own  and  their  sisters’  qualities.  They, 
too,  begin  by  and  by  to  despise  girls  and 
women.  It  is  not  a rare  thing  to  hear  a mere 
slip  of  a boy  gravely  lecture  his  elder  sister  as 
to  what  she  should  or  should  not  do,  and 
remind  her  that  she  is  only  a girl  and  that  he 
is  a boy.  Subjected  to  such  humiliation,  most 
girls  become  sullen,  morbid  and  dull.  There 
are  some  fiery  natures,  however,  who  burn 
with  indignation,  and  burst  out  in  their  own 


Childhood. 


21 


childish  eloquence ; they  tell  their  brothers 
and  cousins  that  they  soon  are  going  to  be 
given  in  marriage,  and  that  they  will  not 
come  to  see  them,  even  if  they  are  often 
entreated  to  do  so.  Children,  however,  soon 
forget  the  wrong  done  them  ; they  laugh,  they 
shout,  they  run  about  freely,  and  are  gener- 
ally merry  when  unpleasant  speeches  are  not 
showered  upon  them.  Having  little  or  no 
education,  except  a few  prayers  and  popular 
songs  to  commit  to  memory,  the  little  girls 
are  mostly  left  to  themselves,  and  they  play 
in  whatever  manner  they  please.  When  about 
six  or  seven  years  of  age  they  usually  begin 
to  help  their  mothers  in  household  work,  or 
in  taking  care  of  the  younger  children. 

I have  mentioned  earlier  the  strictness  of 
the  modern  caste  system  in  regard  to  mar- 
riage. Intelligent  readers  may,  therefore,  have 
already  guessed  that  this  reason  lies  at  the 
bottom  of  the  disfavor  shown  to  girls  in  Hindu 
homes.  From  the  first  moment  of  the  daug^h- 
ter’s  birth,  the  parents  are  tormented  inces- 


2 2 The  High-Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

santly  with  anxiety  in  regard  to  her  future, 
and  the  responsibilities  of  their  position.  Mar- 
riage is  the  most  expensive  of  all  Hindu  fes- 
tivities and  ceremonies.  The  marriage  of  a 
girl  of  a high  caste  family  involves  an  expen- 
diture of  two  hundred  dollars  at  the  very  least. 
Poverty  in  India  is  so  great  that  not  many 
fathers  are  able  to  incur  this  expense  ; if  there 
are  more  than  two  daughters  in  a family,  his 
ruin  is  inevitable.  For,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered, the  bread-winner  of  the  house  in  Hindu 
society  not  only  has  to  feed  his  own  wife  and 
children,  but  also  his  parents,  his  brothers 
unable  to  work  either  through  ignorance  or 
idleness,  their  families  and  the  nearest  widowed 
relatives,  all  of  whom  very  often  depend  upon 
one  man  for  their  support ; besides  these,  there 
are  the  family  priests,  religious  beggars  and 
others,  who  expect  much  from  him.  Thus, 
fettered  hand  and  foot  by  barbarously  cruel 
customs  which  threaten  to  strip  him  of  every- 
thing he  has,  starvation  and  death  staring  him 
in  the  face,  the  wretched  father  of  many  girls 


Childhood. 


23 


is  truly  an  object  of  pity.  Religion  enjoins 
that  every  girl  must  be  given  in  marriage ; 
the  neglect  of  this  duty  means  for  the  father 
unpardonable  sin,  public  ridicule  and  caste  ex- 
communication.  But  this  is  not  all.  The  girl 
must  be  married  within  a fixed  period,  the 
caste  of  the  future  husband  must  be  the  same, 
and  the  clan  either  equal  or  superior,  biU  never 
inferior.,  to  that  of  her  father. 

The  Brahmans  of  Eastern  India  have  ob- 
served successfully  their  clan  prejudice  for 
hundreds  of  years  despite  poverty  ; they  have 
done  this  in  part  by  taking  advantage  of 
the  custom  of  polygamy.  A Brahman  of  a 
high  clan  will  marry  ten,  eleven,  twenty,  or 
even  one  hundred  and  fifty  girls.  He  makes 
a business  of  it.  He  goes  up  and  down  the 
land  marrying  girls,  receiving  presents  from 
their  parents,  and  immediately  thereafter  bid- 
ding good-bye  to  the  brides  ; going  home, 
he  never  returns  to  them.  The  illustrious 
Brahman  need  not  bother  himself  with  the 
care  of  supporting  so  many  wives,  for  the 


24  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Womaji. 

parents  pledge  themselves  to  maintain  the 
daughter  all  her  life,  if  she  stays  with  them  a 
married  virgin  to  the  end.  In  case  of  such  a 
marriage  as  this,  the  father  is  not  required  to 
spend  money  beyond  his  means,  nor  is  it  diffi- 
cult for  him  to  support  the  daughter,  for  she 
is  useful  to  the  family  in  doing  the  cooking  and 
other  household  work  ; moreover,  the  father 
has  the  satisfaction  firsts  of  having  given  his 
daughter  in  marriage,  and  thereby  having 
escaped  disgrace  and  the  ridicule  of  society  ; 
secondly^  of  having  obtained  for  himself  the 
bright  mansions  of  the  gods,  since  his  daugh- 
ter’s husband  is  a Brahman  of  high  clan. 

But  this  form  of  polygamy  does  not  exist 
among  the  Kshatriyas,  because,  as  a member 
of  the  non-Brahman  caste,  a man  is  not  al- 
lowed by  religion,  to  beg  or  to  receive  gifts 
from  others,  except  from  friends  ; he  therefore 
cannot  support  either  many  wives  or  many 
daughters.  Caste  and  clan  prejudice  tyran- 
nized the  Rajputs  of  North  and  Northwestern 
and  Central  India,  who  belong  to  the  Ksha- 


Childhood. 


25 


triyas  or  warrior  caste,  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  were  driven  to  introduce  the  inhuman 
and  irreligious  custom  of  female  infanticide 
into  their  society.  This  cruel  act  was  per- 
formed by  the  fathers  themselves,  or  even 
by  mothers,  at  the  command  of  the  husband 
whom  they  are  bound  to  obey  in  all  things. 

It  is  a universal  custom  among  the  Rajputs 
for  neighbors  and  friends  to  assemble  to  con- 
gratulate the  father  upon  the  birth  of  a child. 
If  a boy  is  born,  his  birth  is  announced 
with  music,  glad  songs  and  by  distributing 
sweetmeats.  If  a daughter,  the  father  coolly 
announces  that  “nothing”  has  been  born  into 
his  family,  by  which  expression  it  is  under- 
stood that  the  child  is  a girl,  and  that  she  is 
very  likely  to  be  nothing  in  this  world,  and 
the  friends  go  home  grave  and  quiet. 

After  considering  how  many  girls  could  safe- 
ly be  allowed  to  live,  the  father  took  good 
care  to  defend  himself  from  caste  and  clan 
tyranny  by  killing  the  extra  girls  at  birth, 
which  was  as  easily  accomplished  as  destroying 


2 6 The  High- Caste  Hindu  Wo7uan. 

a mosquito  or  other  annoying  insect.  Who 
can  save  a babe  if  the  parents  are  determined 
to  slay  her,  and  eagerly  watch  for  a suitable 
opportunity?  Opium  is  generally  used  to  keep 
the  ciydng  child  quiet,  and  a small  pill  of  this 
drug  is  sufficient  to  accomplish  the  cruel  task  ; 
a skillful  pressure  upon  the  neck,  which  is 
known  as  the  “putting  nail  to  the  throat,” 
also  answers  the  purpose.  There  are  several 
other  nameless  methods  that  may  be  employed 
in  sacrificing  the  innocents  upon  the  unholy 
altar  of  the  caste  and  clan  system.  Then 
there  are  not  a few  child-thieves  who  gene- 
rally steal  girls  ; even  the  wild  animals  are  so 
intelligent  and  of  such  refined  taste  that  they 
mock  at  British  law,  and  almost  always  steal 
girls  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 

Female  infanticide,  though  not  sanctioned 
by  religion,  and  never  looked  upon  as  right 
by  conscientious  people,  has,  nevertheless,  in 
those  parts  of  India  mentioned,  been  silently 
passed  over  unpunished  by  society  in  general. 

As  early  as  1802  the  British  government 


Childhood. 


27 


enacted  laws  for  the  suppression  of  this  horrid 
crime  ; and  more  than  forty  years  ago  Major 
Ludlow,  a kind-hearted  Englishman,  induced 
the  semi-independent  States  to  prohibit  this 
custom,  which  the  Hindu  princes  did,  by  a 
mutual  agreement  not  to  allow  any  one  to 
force  the  father  of  a girl  to  give  more  dowry 
than  his  circumstances  should  warrant,  and  to 
discourage  extravagance  in  the  celebration  of 
marriages.  But  caste  and  clan  prejudice  could 
not  be  overcome  so  easily. 

Large  expenses  might  be  stopped  by  law, 
but  a belief,  deeply  rooted  in  the  hearts  and 
religiously  observed  by  the  people  for  centu- 
ries, could  not  be  removed  by  external  rules. 

The  Census  of  1870  revealed  the  curious  fact 
that  three  hundred  children  were  stolen  in  one 
year  by  wolves  from  within  the  city  of  Umrit- 
zar,  all  the  children  being  girls,  and  this  un- 
der the  very  nose  of  the  English  government. 
In  the  year  1868  an  English  official,  Mr.  Ho- 
bart, made  a tour  of  inspection  through  those 
parts  of  India  where  female  infanticide  was  most 


28  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Wo^nan. 

practiced  before  tbe  government  enacted  the 
prohibitory  law.  As  a result  of  careful  observa- 
tion, he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this  horri- 
ble practice  was  still  followed  in  secret,  and  to 
an  alarming  extent. 

The  Census  returns  of  1 880-81  show  that 
there  are  fewer  women  than  men  in  India  by 
over  five  millions.  Chief  among  the  causes 
which  have  brought  about  this  surprising  nume- 
rical difference  of  the  sexes  may  be  named,  after 
female  infanticide  in  certain  parts  of  the  coun- 
try^,  the  imperfect  treat^nent  of  the  diseases  of 
women  in  all  parts  of  Hindustan^  together 
with  lack  of  proper  hygienic  care  and  medical 
attendance. 


Married  Life. 


29 


CHAPTER  III. 

MARRIED  LIFE. 

It  is  not  easy  to  determine  when  the  child- 
hood of  a Hindu  girl  ends  and  the  married  life 
begins.  The  early  marriage  system,  although 
not  the  oldest  custom  of  my  country,  is  at  least 
five  hundred  years  older  than  the  Christian  era. 
According  to  Manu,  eight  years  is  the  mini- 
mum, and  twelve  years  of  age  the  maximum 
marriageable  age  for  a high  caste  girl.*  The 
earlier  the  act  of  giving  the  daughter  in  mar- 
riage, the  greater  is  the  merit,  for  thereby  the 
parents  are  entitled  to  rich  rewards  in  heaven. 

* A man  aged  thirty  years  shall  marry  a maiden  of 
twelve  who  pleases  him,  or  a man  of  twenty-four  a girl 
of  eight  years  of  age. — Manu  ix.,  94. 


30  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

There  have  always  been  exceptions  to  this  rule, 
however.  Among  the  eight  kinds  of  marriages 
described  in  the  law,  there  is  one  form  that  is 
only  an  agreement  between  the  lovers  to  be  loyal 
to  each  other  ; in  this  form  of  marriage  there  is 
no  religious  ceremony,  nor  even  a third  party 
to  witness  and  confirm  the  agreement  and  rela- 
tionship, and  yet  by  the  law  this  is  regarded 
as  completely  lawful  a marriage  as  any  other. 
It  is  quite  plain  from  this  fact  that  all  girls  were 
not  betrothed  between  the  age  of  eight  and 
twelve  years,  and  also  that  marriage  was  not 
considered  a religious  institution  by  the  Hindus 
in  olden  times.  All  castes  and  classes  could 
marry  in  this  form  if  they  chose  to  do  so.  One 
of  the  most  noticeable  facts  connected  with  this 
form  is  this  : women  as  well  as  men  were  quite 
free  to  choose  their  own  future  spouses.  In 
Europe  and  America  women  do  choose  their 
husbands,  but  it  is  considered  a shame  for 
a woman  to  be  the  first  to  request  marriage,  and 
both  men  and  women  will  be  shocked  equally 
at  such  an  occurrence  ; but  in  India,  women 


31 


Married  Life. 

had  equal  freedom  with  men,  in  this  case  at 
least.  A woman  might,  without  being  put  to 
shame,  and  without  shocking  the  other  party, 
come  forward  and  select  her  own  husband. 
The  Svayamvara  (selecting  husband)  was  quite 
common  until  as  late  as  the  eleventh  century, 
A.  D.,  and  even  now,  although  very  rarely,  this 
custom  is  practiced  by  a few  people. 

I know  of  a woman  in  the  Bombay  presidency 
who  is  married  to  a Brahman  according  to  this 
form.  The  first  wife  of  the  man  is  still  living  ; 
the  second  wife,  being  of  another  caste,  he 
could  not  openly  acknowledge  as  his  reli- 
giously wedded  wife,  but  he  could  do  so  with- 
out going  through  the  religious  ceremony  had 
she  been  of  his  own  caste,  as  the  act  is  sanc- 
tioned by  Hindu  law.  The  lawless  beha- 
viour of  the  Mahomedan  intruders  from  the 
twelfth  century,  A.  D.,  had  much  to  do  in  uni- 
versalizing infant  marriage  in  India.  A great 
many  girls  are  given  in  marriage  at  the  present 
day  literally  while  they  are  still  in  their  cradles ; 
from  five  to  eleven  years  is  the  usual  period 


3 2 The  High-  Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

for  their  marriage  among  the  Brahmans  all 
over  India.  As  it  is  absurd  to  assume  that 
girls  should  be  allowed  to  choose  their  future 
husbands  in  their  infancy,  this  is  done  for 
them  by  their  parents  and  guardians.  In  the 
northern  part  of  the  country  the  family  barber 
is  generally  employed  to  select  boys  and  girls 
to  be  married,  it  being  considered  too  humilia- 
ting and  mean  an  act  on  the  part  of  parents 
and  guardians  to  go  out  to  seek  their  future 
daughters  and  sons-in-law. 

Although  Manu  has  distinctly  said  that 
twenty-four  years  is  the  minimum  marriage- 
able age  for  a young  man,  the  popular  cus- 
tom defies  the  law.  Boys  of  ten  and  twelve 
are  now  doomed  to  be  married  to  girls  of 
seven  and  eight  years  of  age.  A boy  of  a 
well-to-do  family  does  not  generally  remain  a 
bachelor  after  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of 
age  ; the  respectable  but  very  poor  families, 
even  if  they  are  of  high  caste,  cannot  afford  to 
marry  their  boys  so  soon,  but  even  among  them 
it  is  a shame  for  a man  to  remain  unmarried 


Married  Life. 


33 


after  twenty  or  twenty-five.  Boys  as  well  as 
girls  have  no  voice  in  the  selection  of  their 
spouses  at  the  first  marriage,  but  if  a man 
lose  his  first  wife,  and  marries  a second  time,  he 
has  a voice  in  the  matter. 

Although  the  ancient  law-givers  thought  it 
desirable  to  marry  girls  when  quite  young,  and 
consequently  ignored  their  right  to  choose  their 
own  husbands,  yet  they  were  not  altogether 
void  of  humane  feelings.  They  have  positively 
forbidden  parents  and  guardians  to  give  away 
girls  in  marriage  unless  good  suitors  were  of- 
fered them. 

“To  a distinguished,  handsome  suitor  of  equal  caste 
should  a father  give  his  daughter  in  accordance  with  the 
prescribed  rule,  though  she  have  not  attained  the  proper 
age.” — Manu  ix.,  88. 

“But  the  maiden,  though  marriageable,  should  rather 
stop  in  the  father’s  house  until  death,  than  that  he  should 
ever  give  her  to  a man  destitute  of  good  qualities.” — 
Manu,  ix.  89. 

But,  alas,  here  too  the  law  is  defied  by  cruel 
custom.  It  allows  some  men  to  remain  un- 
married, but  woe  to  the  maiden  and  to  her 
3 


34  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

family  if  she  is  so  unfortunate  as  to  remain 
single  after  the  marriageable  age.  Although 
no  law  has  ever  said  so,  the  popular  belief  is 
that  a woman  can  have  no  salvation  unless 
she  be  formally  married.  It  is  not,  then,  a 
matter  of  wonder  that  parents  become  ex- 
tremely anxious  when  their  daughters  are  over 
eight  or  nine  and  are  unsought  in  marriage. 
Very  few  suitors  offer  to  marry  the  daughters 
of  poor  parents,  though  they  may  be  of  high 
caste  families.  Wealth  has  its  own  pride  and 
merit  in  India,  as  everywhere  else  in  the 
world,  but  even  this  powerful  wealth  is  as 
nothing  before  caste  rule.  A high  caste  man 
will  never  condescend  to  marrv  his  daughter 
to  a low  caste  man  though  he  be  a millionaire. 

But  wealth  in  one’s  own  caste  surpasses  the 
merits  of  learning,  beauty  and  honor  ; parents 
generally  seek  boys  of  well-to-do  families  for 
their  sons-in-law.  As  the  boys  are  too  young 
to  pass  as  possessing  “good  qualities,”  i.  ^., 
learning,  common-sense,  ability  to  support  and 
take  care  of  a family,  and  respectable  char- 


Married  Life. 


35 


acter,  the  parents  wish  to  see  their  daugh- 
ter safe  in  a family  where  she  will,  at  least, 
have  plenty  to  eat  and  to  wear  ; they,  of 
course,  wish  her  to  be  happy  with  her  hus- 
band, but  in  their  judgment  that  is  not  the 
one  thing  needful.  So  long  as  they  have  ful- 
filled the  custom,  and  thereby  secured  a good 
name  in  this  world  and  heavenly  reward  in 
the  next,  their  minds  are  not  much  troubled 
concerning  the  girl’s  fate.  If  the  boy  be  of 
rich  or  middle  class  people,  a handsome  sum 
of  money  must  be  given  to  him  and  his  family 
in  order  to  secure  the  marriage  ; beside  this, 
the  girl’s  family  must  walk  very  humbly  with 
this  little  god,  for  he  is  believed  to  be  indwelt 
by  the  god  Vishnu.  Poor  parents  cannot  have 
the  advantage  of  marrying  their  daughters  to 
bo}^s  of  prosperous  families,  and  as  they  must 
marry  them  to  some  one,  it  very  frequently 
happens  that  girls  of  eight  or  nine  are  given 
to  men  of  sixty  and  seventy,  or  to  men  utterly 
unworthy  of  the  young  maidens. 

Parents  who  have  the  means  to  secure  good- 


36  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

looking,  prosperous  men  for  tkeir  sons-in-law, 
take  great  care  to  consult  the  horoscopes  of 
both  parties  in  order  to  know  the  future  of 
their  daughters  ; in  such  cases,  they  are  anx- 
ious to  ascertain,  over  and  above  all  things, 
that  the  girl  shall  not  become  a widow.  If 
the  daughter’s  horoscope  reveals  that  her  future 
husband  is  to  survive  her,  the  match  is  con- 
sidered very  satisfactory  ; but  if  it  reveals  the 
reverse,  then  a boy  having  a horoscope  equally 
bad  is  sought  for,  because  it  is  sincerely  be- 
lieved that  in  that  case  the  guardian  planets 
will  wrestle  with  each  other,  and,  as  almost 
always  happens,  that  the  stronger,  i.  e.^  the 
husband’s  planet  will  be  victorious,  or  else 
both  parties  will  fall  in  the  conflict,  and  the 
husband  and  wife  die  together.  A friend  of 
mine  informed  me  that  three  hundred  horos- 
copes were  rejected  before  one  was  found  which 
agreed  satisfactorily  with  her  sister’s  guardian 
planet.  Undoubtedly  many  suitors,  who  might 
make  good  husbands  for  these  little  girls,  are 
for  this  reason  rejected,  and  unworthy  men  fall 


Married  Life. 


37 


to  their  lot ; thus,  the  horoscope  becomes  a 
source  of  misery  instead  of  blessing. 

It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  fathers  give 
away  their  daughters  in  marriage  to  strangers 
without  exercising  care  in  making  inquiry 
concerning  the  suitor’s  character  and  social 
position.  It  is  enough  to  learn  from  the  man’s 
own  statement,  his  caste  and  clan,  and  the 
locality  of  his  home.  I know  of  a most  extraor- 
dinary marriage  that  took  place  in  the  following 
manner  : the  father  was  on  a religious  pilgrim- 
age with  his  family,  which  consisted  of  his  wife 
and  two  daughters,  one  nine  and  the  other  seven 
years  of  age,  and  they  had  stopped  in  a town  to 
take  rest  for  a day  or  two.  One  morning  the 
father  was  bathing  in  the  sacred  river  Godavari, 
near  the  town,  when  he  saw  a fine-looking  man 
coming  to  bathe  there  also.  After  the  ablution 
and  the  morning  prayers  were  over,  the  father 
inquired  of  the  stranger  who  he  was  and  whence 
he  came  ; on  learning  his  caste,  and  clan,  and 
dwelling-place,  also  that  he  was  a widower,  the 
father  offered  him  his  little  daughter  of  nine,  in 


38  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

marriage.  All  things-  were  settled  in  an  hour  or 
so  ; next  day  the  marriage  was  concluded,  and 
the  little  girl  placed  in  the  possession  of  the 
stranger,  who  took  her  nearly  nine  hundred 

miles  awav  from  her  home.  The  father  left  the 

•>' 

place  the  day  after  the  marriage  without  the 
daughter,  and  pursued  his  pilgrimage  with  a 
light  heart ; fortunately  the  little  girl  had  fallen 
in  good  hands,  and  was  well  and  tenderly  cared 
for  beyond  all  expectation,  but  the  conduct  of 
her  father,  who  cared  so  little  to  ascertain  his 
daughter’s  fate,  is  none  the  less  censurable. 

When  the  time  to  conclude  the  marriage  cere- 
mony draws  near,  the  Hindu  mother’s  affection 
for  the  girl  frequently  knows  no  bounds  ; she 
indulges  her  in  endless  ways,  knowing  that  in 
a few  days  her  darling  will  be  tom  away  from 
her  loving  embrace.  When  she  goes  to  pay  the 
customar}^  visit  to  her  child’s  future  mother-in- 
law  many  are  the  tearful  entreaties  and  soul- 
stirring solicitations  that  she  will  be  as  kind  and 
forbearing  toward  the  little  stranger  as  though 
she  were  her  own  daughter.  The  boy’s  mother 


39 


Mai'ried  Life. 

is  moved  at  this  time,  for  she  has  a woman’s 
heart,  and  she  promises  to  be  a mother  to  the 
little  bride.  On  the  day  fixed  for  the  marriage, 
parents  formally  give  their  daughter  away  to  the 
boy  ; afterwards  the  young  people  are  united  by 
priests  who  utter  the  sacred  texts  and  pronounce 
them  man  and  wife  in  the  presence  of  the  sacred 
fire  and  of  relatives  and  friends.  The  mar- 
riage being  thus  concluded,  it  is  henceforth  in- 
dissoluble. 

“Neither  by  sale  nor  by  repudiation  is  a wife  released 
from  her  husband  ; such  we  know  the  law  to  be  which  the 
Lord  of  creatures  made  of  old.” — Manu  ix.,  46. 

Marriage  is  the  only  ‘ ‘ Sacrament  ’ ’ adminis- 
tered to  a high  caste  woman,  accompanied  with 
the  utterance  of  the  Vedic  texts.  It  is  to  be 
presumed  that  the  texts  are  introduced  in  honor 
of  the  man  whom  she  marries,  for  no  sacrament 
must  be  administered  to  him  without  the  sa- 
cred formulae.  Henceforth  the  girl  is  his,  not 
only  his  property,  but  also  that  of  his  nearest 
relatives. 


40  The  High- Caste  Hind2t  Woman, 


“For  they  (the  ancient  sages)  declare  that  a bride  is 
given  to  the  family  of  her  husband,  and  not  to  the  husband 
alone.” — Apasta^nba  //.,  lo,  27,  3. 

The  girl  now  belongs  to  the  husband’s  clan  ; 
she  is  known  by  his  family  name,  and  in  some 
parts  of  India  the  husband’s  relatives  will  not 
allow  her  to  be  called  by  the  first  name  that  w’as 
given  her  by  her  parents  ; henceforth  she  is  a 
kind  of  impersonal  being.  She  can  have  no 
merit  or  quality  of  her  own. 


“WTiatever  be  the  qualities  of  the  man  with  whom  a 
woman  is  united  in  lawful  marriage,  such  qualities  even  she 
assumes,  like  a river  united  with  the  ocean.” — Manu  ix.,  22. 


Many  of  our  girls  when  asked  in  fun  whe- 
ther they  would  like  soon  to  be  married  would 
innocently  answer  in  the  afiirmative.  They 
often  see  their  sisters,  cousins  or  playmates  mar- 
ried ; the  occasion  is  one  long  to  be  remembered 
with  pleasure.  Even  the  poorest  families  take 
great  pains  to  make  it  pleasant  to  every- 
body ; children  enjoy  it  most  of  all.  There  are 
gorgeous  dresses,  bright  colored  clothes,  beau- 


Married  Life. 


41 


tiful  decorations,  music,  songs,  fireworks,  fun, 
plenty  of  fruit  and  sweet  things  to  eat  and  to 
give  away,  lovely  flowers,  and  the  whole  house 
is  illuminated  with  many  lamps.  What  can  be 
more  tempting  to  a child’s  mind  than  these? 
In  addition  to  all  this  the  big  elephant  is  some- 
times brought,  on  which  the  newly-married 
children  ride  in  procession  amidst  all  sorts 
of  fun.  Is  it  not  grand  enough  for  a child? 
Oh,  I shall  ride  on  the  back  of  the  elephant! 
thinks  the  girl  ; and  there  is  something  more 
besides  ; all  the  people  in  the  house  will  wait  on 
me,  will  make  much  of  me  ; everybody  will 
caress  and  try  to  please  me.  “Oh,  what  fun  !” 

“I  like  to  have  a cold,  and  be  ill,”  said  a 
girl  of  four.  ‘ ‘ Why,  darling  ? ’ ’ asked  her 
mother,  in  surprise.  “Oh,  because,”  replied 
the  little  girl,  ‘ ‘ I like  to  eat  my  breakfast 
in  bed,  and  then,  too,  everybody  waits  on 
me  1 ” 

Who  has  not  heard  remarks  such  as  these, 
and  laughed  heartily  over  them  ? Children  like 
even  to  be  ill  for  the  sake  of  being  waited  on. 


42  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

Wliat  wonder,  then,  if  Hindu  girls  like  being 
married  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  that  much- 
coveted  privilege ! But  little  do  these  poor 
innocents  know  what  comes  after  the  fun. 
Little  do  they  imagine  that  they  must  bid 
farewell  to  home  and  mother,  to  noisy  merri- 
ment, and  laughter,  and  to  the  free  life  of 
pure  enjoyment.  Sometimes  the  child  desires 
to  be  married  when,  through  superstition,  she 
is  ill-treated  at  home  by  her  nearest  relatives, 
otherwise  there  can  be  no  reason  except  the 
enjoyment  of  fun  that  excites  the  desire  in 
the  girl’s  heart,  for  when  the  marriage  takes 
place  she  is  just  emerging  from  babyhood. 

Childhood  is,  indeed,  the  heyday  of  a Hindu 
woman’s  life.  Free  to  go  in  and  out  where 
she  pleases,  never  bothered  by  caste  or  other 
social  restrictions,  never  worried  by  lesson- 
learning, sewing,  mending  or  knitting,  loved, 
petted  and  spoiled  by  parents,  brothers  and 
sisters,  uncles  and  aunts,  she  is  little  differ- 
ent from  a young  colt  whose  days  are  spent 
in  complete  liberty.  Then  lo,  all  at  once 


43 


Married  Life. 

the  ban  of  marriage  is  pronounced  and  the 
yoke  put  on  her  neck  forever  ! 

Immediately  after  the  marriage  ceremony  is 
concluded  the  boy  takes  his  girl-bride  home 
and  delivers  her  over  to  his  own  mother,  who 
becomes  from  that  time  until  the  girl  grows 
old  enough  to  be  given  to  her  husband,  her  sole 
mistress,  and  who  wields  over  the  daughter-in- 
law  undisputed  authority  ! 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  both  in 
Northern  and  Southern  India,  the  term  “mar- 
riage” does  not  mean  anything  more  than 
an  irrevocable  betrothal.  The  ceremony  gone 
through  at  that  time  establishes  religiously  the 
conjugal  relationship  of  both  parties  ; there  is 
a second  ceremony  that  confirms  the  relation- 
ship both  religiously  and  socially,  v/hich  does 
not  take  place  until  the  children  attain  the  age 
of  puberty.  In  Bengal  the  rule  is  somewhat 
different,  and  proves  in  many  cases  greatly  in- 
jurious to  the  human  system.  In  some  very 
rare  cases  the  girls  are  allowed  to  remain  with 
their  own  parents  for  a time  at  least.  In  the 


44  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

North  of  India  the  little  bride’s  lot  is  a hap- 
pier one  to  begin  with  ; she  not  being  forced 
to  go  to  her  husband’s  home  until  she  is 
about  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  of  age. 

The  joint  family  system,  which  is  one  of  the 
peculiarities  of  Eastern  countries,  is  very  deeply 
rooted  in  the  soil  of  India.  There  may  not 
unfrequently  be  found  four  generations  living 
under  one  roof.  The  house  is  divided  into  two 
distinct  parts,  namely,  the  outer  and  the  inner 
court.  The  houses,  as  a rule,  have  but  few 
windows,  and  they  are  usually  dark  ; the 
men’s  court  is  comparatively  light  and  good. 
Houses  in  country  places  are  better  than  those 
in  the  crowded  cities.  Men  and  women  have 
almost  nothing  in  common. 

The  women’s  court  is  situated  at  the  back  of 
the  house,  where  darkness  reigns  perpetually. 
There  the  child-bride  is  brought  to  be  forever 
confined.  She  does  not  enter  her  husband’s 
house  to  be  the  head  of  a new  home,  but  rather 
enters  the  house  of  the  father-in-law  to  become 
the  lowest  of  its  members,  and  to  occupy  the 


Married  Life. 


45 


humblest  position  in  the  family.  Breaking  the 
young  bride’s  spirits  is  an  essential  part  of  the 
discipline  of  this  new  abode.  She  must  never 
talk  or  laugh  loudly,  must  never  speak  before 
or  to  the  father  and  elder  brother-in-law,  or 
any  other  distant  male  relatives  of  her  hus- 
band, unless  commanded  to  do  so.  In  Northern 
India,  where  all  women  wear  veils,  the  young 
bride  or  woman  covers  her  face  with  it,  or 
runs  into  another  room  to  show  respect  to 
them,  when  these  persons  enter  an  apartment 
where  she  happens  to  be.  In  Southern  India, 
where  women,  as  a rule,  do  not  wear  veils, 
they  need  not  cover  their  faces  ; they  rise  to 
show  respect  to  elders  and  to  their  husbands, 
and  remain  standing  as  long  as  they  are 
obliged  to  be  in  their  presence. 

The  mothers-in-law  employ  their  daughters 
in  all  kinds  of  household  work,  in  order  to 
give  them  a thorough  knowledge  of  domestic 
duties.  These  children  of  nine  or  ten  years 
of  age  find  it  irksome  to  work  hard  all  day 
long  without  the  hope  of  hearing  a word  of 


46  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

praise  from  the  mother-in-law.  As  a rule,  the 
little  girl  is  scolded  for  every  mistake  she 
commits ; if  the  work  be  well  done,  it  is 
silently  accepted,  words  of  encouragement  and 
praise  from  the  elders  being  regarded  as  spoil- 
ing children  and  demoralizing  them  ; the  faults 
of  the  little  ones  are  often  mistaken  for  inten- 
tional offences,  and  then  the  artillery  of  abu- 
sive speech  is  opened  upon  them  ; thus,  mor- 
tified and  distressed,  they  seek  to  console 
themselves  by  shedding  bitter  tears  in  silence. 
In  such  sorrowful  hours  they  miss  the  dear 
mother  and  her  loving  sympath}^ 

I must,  however,  do  justice  to  the  mothers- 
in-law.  Many  of  them  treat  the  young  brides 
of  their  sons  as  their  own  children  ; many  are 
kind  and  affectionate,  but  ignorant ; they  easily 
lose  their  temper  and  seem  to  be  hard  when 
they  do  not  mean  to  be  so.  Others  again, 
having  themselves  been  the  victims  of  merci- 
less treatment  in  their  childhood  become  hard- 
hearted ; such  an  one  will  do  all  she  can  to 
torment  the  child  by  using  abusive  language. 


47 


Married  Life, 

by  beating  her  and  slandering  her  before  the 
neighbors.  Often  she  is  not  satisfied  by  doing 
this  herself,  but  induces  and  encourages  the 
son  to  join  her.  I have  several  times  seen 
young  wives  shamefully  beaten  by  beastly  young 
husbands  who  cherished  no  natural  love  for 
them. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  marriage  is  con- 
cluded without  the  consent  of  either  party, 
and  after  it  the  bride  is  not  allowed  to  speak 
or  be  acquainted  with  the  husband  until  after 
the  second  ceremony,  and  even  then  the  young 
couple  must  never  betray  any  sign  of  their 
mutual  attachment  before  a third  party.  Un- 
der such  circumstances  they  seldom  meet  and 
talk  ; it  may  therefore  be  easily  understood 
that  being  cut  off  from  the  chief  means  of 
forming  attachment,  the  young  couple  are  al- 
most strangers,  and  in  many  cases  do  not  like 
their  relationship  ; and  if  in  the  midst  of  all 
this,  the  mother-in-law  begins  to  encourage  the 
young  man  to  torment  his  wife  in  various 
ways,  it  is  not  strange  that  a feeling  akin  to 


48  The  High- Caste  Hmdti  Woman. 

hatred  takes  root  between  them.  A child  of 
thirteen  was  cruelly  beaten  by  her  husband 
in  my  presence  for  telling  the  simple  truth, 
that  she  did  not  like  so  well  to  be  in  his 
house  as  at  her  own  honre. 

In  spite,  however,  of  all  these  drawbacks, 
there  is  in  India  many  a happy  and  loving 
couple  that  would  be  an  honor  to  any  nation. 
Where  the  conjugal  relation  is  brightened  by 
mutual  love,  the  happy  wife  has  nothing  to 
complain  of  except  the  absence  of  freedom 
of  thought  and  action ; but  since  wives  have 
never  known  from  the  beginning  what  freedom 
is,  they  are  generally  well  content  to  remain 
in  bondage  ; there  is,  however,  no  such  thing 
as  the  family  having  pleasant  times  together. 

Men  spend  their  evenings  and  other  leisure 
hours  with  friends  of  their  own  sex,  either  in 
the  outer  court  or  away  from  home.  Children 
enjoy  the  company  of  father  and  mother  alter- 
nately, by  going  in  and  out  when  they  choose, 
but  the  children  of  young  parents  are  never 
made  happy  by  the  father’s  caresses  or  any 


Married  Life, 


49 


other  demonstration  of  his  love  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  elders  ; the  notion  of  false  mod- 
desty  prevents  the  young  father  from  speaking 
to  his  children  freely.  The  women  of  the 
family  usually  take  their  meals  after  the  men 
have  had  theirs,  and  the  wife,  as  a rule,  eats- 
what  her  lord  may  please  to  leave  on  his  plate. 


50  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WOMAN’S  PLACE  IN  RELIGION  AND  SOCIETY. 
The  Hindu  religion  commands  ; 

“ Women  must  be  honored  and  adorned  by  their  fathers, 
brothers,  husbands,  and  brothers-in-law,  wLo  desire  their 
o^vn  welfare.” 

” Where  women  are  honored,  there  the  gods  are  pleased  ; 
but  where  they  are  not  honored,  no  sacred  rite  yields 
rewards.” 

” Where  the  female  relations  live  in  grief,  the  family 
soon  wholly  perishes ; but  that  family  wLere  they  are 
not  unhappy  ever  prospers.” 

“ The  houses  on  which  female  relations,  not  being  duly 
honored,  pronounce  a curse,  perish  completely,  as  if  de- 
stroyed by  magic.” 

” Hence  men  who  seek  their  own  welfare,  should  al- 
ways honor  women  on  holidays  and  festivals  with  (gifts 
of)  ornaments,  clothes  and  dainty  food.” 

” In  that  family  where  the  husband  is  pleased  with  his 


In  Religion  and  Society. 


51 


wife,  and  the  wife  with  her  husband,  happiness  will 
assuredly  be  lasting.” 

‘‘  For  if  the  wife  is  not  radiant  with  beauty,  she  will 
not  attract  her  husband  ; but  if  she  has  no  attractions 
for  him,  no  children  will  be  born.” 

“ If  the  wife  is  radiant  with  beauty,  the  whole  house 
is  bright ; but  if  she  is  destitute  of  beauty,  all  will  appear 
dismal.” — Manu,  hi.,  55-62. 

These  commandments  are  very  significant. 
Our  Aryan  Hindus  did,  and  still  do  honor 
woman  to  a certain  extent.  The  honor  be- 
stowed upon  the  mother  is  without  parallel 
in  any  other  country.  Although  the  woman 
is  looked  upon  as  an  inferior  being,  the 
mother  is  nevertheless  the  chief  person  and 
worthy  to  receive  all  honor  from  the  son. 
One  of  the  great  commandments  of  the  Hindu 
Scriptures  is,  “ Let  thy  mother  be  to  thee 
like  unto  a god.”* 


* My  readers  would  perhaps  be  interested  to  see  these 
commandments;  they  are  as  follows: — “After  having 
taught  the  Veda,  the  teacher  instructs  the  pupil : 

Say  what  is  true. 

Do  thy  duty. 

Do  not  neglect  the  study  of  the  Veda. 


52  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Wo7nan, 

The  mother  is  the  queen  of  the  son’s  house- 
hold. She  wields  great  power  there,  and  is 
generally  obeyed  as  the  head  of  the  family 
by  her  sons  and  by  her  daughters-in-law. 

But  there  is  a reverse  side  to  the  shield  that 
should  not  be  left  unobserv^ed.  This  is  best 
studied  in  the  laws  of  Manu,  as  all  Hindus, 
with  a few  exceptions  believe  implicitly  what 
that  law-giver  says  about  women  : 


After  having  brought  to  thy  teacher  his  proper  reward, 
do  not  cut  off  the  line  of  children  ! [i.  e.  Do  not  remain 
unmarried). 

Do  not  swerv’e  from  the  truth. 

Do  not  swen’e  from  duty. 

Do  not  neglect  what  is  useful. 

Do  not  neglect  the  learning  and  teaching  of  the  Veda. 

Do  not  neglect  the  sacrificial  works  due  to  the  gods 
and  fathers. 

Let  thy  mother  be  to  thee  like  unto  a god. 

Let  thy  father  be  to  thee  like  unto  a god. 

Let  thy  teacher  be  to  thee  like  unto  a god. 

Let  thy  guests  be  to  thee  like  unto  a god 

WTiatever  actions  are  blameless  those  should  be  re- 
garded, not  others. 

WTiatever  good  works  have  been  performed  by  us^ 
should  be  obser\*ed  by  thee,  not  others.” — Taittiriya 
Upaiiishad,  Valli,  i.  An.  xi,,  i,  2. 


In  Religion  and  Society. 


53 


“It  is  the  nature  of  women  to  seduce  men  in  this 
world  ; for  that  reason  the  wise  are  never  unguarded  in 
the  company  of  females.” 

“ For  women  are  able  to  lead  astray  in  this  world  not 
only  a fool,  but  even  a learned  man,  and  to  make  him  a 
slave  of  desire  and  anger.” — Manii^  ii.,  2 13-2 14. 

“ Women  do  not  care  for  beauty,  nor  is  their  attention 
fixed  on  age;  thinking  ‘it  is  enough  that  he  is  a man,’ 
they  give  themselves  to  the  handsome  and  to  the  ugly.” 

‘ ‘ Through  their  passion  for  men,  through  their  mutable 
temper,  through  their  natural  heartlessness,  they  become 
disloyal  towards  their  husbands,  however  carefully  they 
may  be  guarded  in  this  world.” 

“Knowing  their  disposition,  which  the  Ford  of  crea- 
tures laid  in  them  at  the  creation,  to  be  such,  every  man 
should  most  strenuously  exert  himself  to  guard  them.” 
“When  creating  them,  Manu  allotted  to  women  a love 
of  their  bed,  of  their  seat  and  of  ornament,  impure  de- 
sires, wrath,  dishonesty,  malice  and  bad  conduct.” 

“ For  women  no  sacramental  rite  is  performed  with 
sacred  texts,  thus  the  law  is  settled ; women  who  are 
destitute  of  strength  and  destitute  of  the  knowledge  of 
Vedic  texts,  are  as  impure  as  falsehood  itself,  that  is  a 
fixed  rule.” — Manu  ix.,  14-18. 

Such  is  the  opinion  of  Manu  concerning  all 
women  ; and  all  men  with  more  or  less  faith 
in  the  law  regard  women,  even  though  they 
be  their  own  mothers,  “as  impure  as  false- 
hood itself.” 


54  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 


“And  to  this  effect  many  sacred  texts  are  chanted  also 
in  the  Vedas,  in  order  to  make  fully  known  the  true  dis- 
position of  women  ; hear  now  those  texts  which  refer  to 
the  expiation  of  their  sins.” 

“‘If  my  mother,  going  astray  and  unfaithful,  conceived 
illicit  desires,  may  my  father  keep  that  seed  from  me,’ 
that  is  the  scriptural  text.’’ — Manu  ix.,  19,  20. 

Such  distrust  and  such  low  estimate  of  wo- 
man’s nature  and  character  in  general,  is  at 
the  root  of  the  custom  of  seclusion  of  women 
in  India.  This  mischievous  custom  has  greatly 
increased  and  has  become  intensely  tyrannical 
since  the  Mahomedan  invasion ; but  that  it 
existed  from  about  the  sixth  century,  b.c., 
cannot  be  denied.  All  male  relatives  are  com- 
manded by  the  law  to  deprive  the  women  of 
the  household  of  all  their  freedom  : — 


“ Day  and  night  women  must  be  kept  in  dependence 
by  the  males  of  their  families,  and  if  they  attach  them- 
selves to  sensual  enjoyments,  they  must  be  kept  under 
one’s  control.’’ 

“Her  father  protects  her  in  childhood,  her  husband  pro- 
tects her  in  youth,  and  her  sons  protect  her  in  old  age ; 
a woman  is  never  fit  for  independence.” — Ma7iti  ix.,  2,  3. 

“Women  must  particularly  be  guarded  against  evil  in- 


In  Religion  and  Society,  55 

clinations,  however  trifling  they  may  appear ; for  if  they 
are  not  guarded,  they  will  bring  sorrow  on  two  families.” 

“ Considering  that  the  highest  duty  of  all  castes,  even 
weak  husbands  must  strive  to  guard  their  wives.” — Manu 
ix.,  5,  6. 

” No  man  can  completely  guard  women  by  force  ; but 
they  can  be  guarded  by  the  employment  of  the  following 
expedients  ; ” 

“ Let  the  husband  employ  his  wife  in  the  collection 
and  expenditure  of  his  wealth,  in  keeping  everything 
clean,  in  the  fulfilment  of  religious  duties,  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  food,  and  in  looking  after  the  household  uten- 
sils.”— Manu  ix.,  10,  ii. 

Those  who  diligently  and  impartially  read 
Sanscrit  literature  in  the  original,  cannot  fail 
to  recognize  the  law-giver  Manu  as  one  of 
those  hundreds  who  have  done  their  best  to 
make  woman  a hateful  being  in  the  world’s  eye. 
To  employ  her  in  housekeeping  and  kindred 
occupations  is  thought  to  be  the  only  means 
of  keeping  her  out  of  mischief,  the  blessed 
enjoyment  of  literary  culture  being  denied  her. 
She  is  forbidden  to  read  the  sacred  scriptures, 
she  has  no  right  to  pronounce  a single  sylla- 
ble out  of  them.  To  appease  her  uncultivated, 
low  kind  of  desire  by  giving  her  ornaments 


56  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

to  adorn  her  person,  and  by  giving  her 
dainty  food  together  with  an  occasional  bow 
which  costs  nothing,  are  the  highest  honors 
to  which  a Hindu  woman  is  entitled.  She, 
the  loving  mother  of  the  nation,  the  devoted 
wife,  the  tender  sister  and  affectionate  daugh- 
ter is  never  fit  for  independence,  and  is  “as 
impure  as  falsehood  itself.’^  She  is  never  to 
be  trusted  ; matters  of  importance  are  never 
to  be  committed  to  her. 

I can  say  honestly  and  truthfully,  that  I 
have  never  read  any  sacred  book  in  Sanscrit 
literature  without  meeting  this  kind  of  hateful 
sentiment  about  women.  True,  they  contain 
here  and  there  a kind  word  about  them,  but 
such  words  seem  to  me  a heartless  mockery 
after  having  charged  them,  as  a class,  with 
crime  and  evil  deeds. 

Profane  literature  is  by  no  means  less  severe 
or  more  respectful  towards  women.  I quote 
from  the  ethical  teachings,  parts  of  a catechism 
and  also  a few  proverbs  : — 


In  Religion  and  Society. 


57 


Q.  What  is  cruel  ? 

A.  The  heart  of  a viper. 

Q.  What  is  more  cruel  than  that? 

A.  The  heart  of  a woman. 

Q.  What  is  the  cruelest  of  all? 

A.  The  heart  of  a sonless,  penniless  widow. 

A catechism  on  moral  subjects  written  by  a 
Hindu  gentleman  of  high  literary  reputation 
says  : — 

Q.  What  is  the  chief  gate  to  hell  ? 

A.  A woman. 

Q.  What  bewitches  like  wine  ? 

A.  A woman. 

Q.  Who  is  the  wisest  of  the  wise? 

A.  He  who  has  not  been  deceived  by  women  who  may 
be  compared  to  malignant  fiends. 

Q.  What  are  fetters  to  men? 

A.  Women. 

Q.  What  is  that  which  cannot  be  trusted? 

A.  Women. 

Q.  What  poison  is  that  which  appears  like  nectar? 

A.  Women. 

Proverbs. 

“Never  put  your  trust  in  women.” 

“Women’s  counsel  leads  to  destruction.” 

“ Woman  is  a great  whirlpool  of  suspicion,  a dwelling- 
place  of  vices,  full  of  deceits,  a hindrance  in  the  way  of 
heaven,  the  gate  of  hell.” 


58  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

Having  fairly  illustrated  the  popular  belief 
about  woman’s  nature,  I now  proceed  to  state 
woman’s  religion.  Virtues  such  as  truthful- 
ness, forbearance,  fortitude,  purity  of  heart 
and  uprightness,  are  common  to  men  and 
women,  but  religion,  as  the  word  is  commonly 
understood,  has  two  distinct  natures  in  the 
Hindu  law  ; the  masculine  and  the  feminine. 
The  masculine  religion  has  its  own  peculiar 
duties,  privileges  and  honors.  The  feminine 
religion  also  has  its  peculiarities. 

The  sum  and  substance  of  the  latter  may  be 
given  in  a few  words : — To  look  upon  her 
husband  as  a god,  to  hope  for  salvation  only 
through  him,  to  be  obedient^ to  him  in  all 
things,  never  to  covet  independence,  never  to 
do  anything  but  that  which  is  approved  by 
law  and  custom. 

“Hear  now  the  duties  of  women,”  says  the 
law-giver,  Mann  : — 

“By  a girl,  by  a young  woman,  or  even  by  an  aged 
one,  nothing  must  be  done  independently,  even  in  her 
own  house.” 


In  Religion  and  Society. 


59 


“In  childhood,  a female  must  be  subject  to  her  father, 
in  youth,  to  her  husband,  when  her  lord  is  dead,  to  her 
sons  ; a woman  must  never  be  independent.” 

“ She  must  not  seek  to  separate  herself  from  her  father, 
husband,  or  sons  ; by  leaving  them  she  would  make  both 
her  own  and  her  husband’s  families  contemptible.” 

‘ ‘ She  must  always  be  cheerful,  clever  in  the  manage- 
ment of  her  household  affairs,  careful  in  cleaning  her 
utensils,  and  economical  in  expenditure.” 

‘ ‘ Him  to  whom  her  father  may  give  her,  or  her  bro- 
ther with  the  father’s  permission,  she  shall  obey  as  long 
as  he  lives,  and  when  he  is  dead,  she  must  not  insult  his 
memory.” 

“For  the  sake  of  procuring  good  fortune  to  brides,  the 
recitation  of  benedictory  texts,  and  the  sacrifice  to  the 
Lord  of  creatures  are  used  at  weddings  ; but  the  be- 
trothal by  the  father  or  guardian  is  the  cause  of  the  hus- 
band’s dominion  over  his  wife.” 

“The  husband  who  wedded  her  with  sacred  texts,  al- 
ways gives  happiness  to  his  wife,  both  in  season  and  out 
of  season,  in  this  world  and  in  the  next.” 

“ Though  destitute  of  virtue,  or  seeking  pleasure  else- 
where, or  devoid  of  good  qualities,  yet  a husband  must 
be  constantly  worshipped  as  a god  by  a faithful  wife.” 

“ No  sacrifice,  no  vow,  no  fast  must  be  performed  by 
women  apart  from  their  husbands  ; if  a wife  obeys  her 
husband,  she  will  for  that  reason  alone,  be  exalted  in 
heaven.” 

“A  faithful  wife,  who  desires  to  dwell  after  death  with 
her  husband,  must  never  do  anything  that  might  dis- 
please him  who  took  her  hand  whether  he  be  alive  or 
dead.” — Manu  v.,  147-156. 


6o  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Wo7nan. 


‘ ‘ By  violating  her  duty  towards  her  husband,  a wife  is 
disgraced  in  this  world,  after  death  she  enters  the  womb 
of  a jackal,  and  is  tormented  by  diseases,  the  punishment 
of  her  sin.” 

“She  who,  controlling  her  thoughts,  words  and  deeds, 
never  slights  her  lord,  resides  after  death  with  her  hus- 
band in  heaven,  and  is  called  a virtuous  wife.” 

“In  reward  of  such  conduct,  a female  who  controls  her 
thoughts,  speech  and  actions,  gains  in  this  life  highest 
renown,  and  in  the  next  world  a place  near  her  hus- 
band.”— Manu  V.,  164-166. 

MARITAI,  RIGHTS. 

“ He  only  is  a perfect  man  who  consists  of  three  per- 
sons united,  his  wife,  himself  and  his  offspring ; thus 
says  the  Veda,  and  learned  Brahmanas  propound  this 
maxim  likewise,  ‘ The  husband  is  declared  to  be  one  vdth 
the  wife.’” — Manu  ix.,  45. 

The  wife  is  declared  to  be  the  “marital 
property  ’ ’ of  her  husband,  and  is  classed  with 
“cows,  mares,  female  camels,  slave-girls,  buf- 
falo-cows, she-goats  and  ewes.” — (See  Manu  ix., 

48-51-) 

The  wife  is  punishable  for  treating  her  hus- 
band with  aversion  : — 

” For  one  year  let  a husband  bear  with  a wife  who 
hates  him  ; but  after  a lapse  of  a year,  let  him  deprive 
her  of  her  property  and  cease  to  live  with  her.” 


hi  Religion  and  Society.  6i 

‘ ‘ She  who  shows  disrespect  to  a husband  who  is  ad- 
dicted to  some  evil  passion,  is  a drunkard,  or  diseased, 
shall  be  deserted  for  three  months,  and  be  deprived  of 
her  ornaments  and  furniture.” — Manu  ix.,  77,  78, 

“She  who  drinks  spirituous  liquor,  is  of  bad  conduct, 
rebellious,  diseased,  mischievous  or  wasteful,  may  at  any 
time  be  superseded  by  another  wife.” 

“A  barren  wife  may  be  superseded  in  the  eighth  year, 
she  whose  children  all  die  in  the  tenth,  she  who  bears 
only  daughters  in  the  eleventh,  but  she  who  is  quarrel- 
some without  delay.” — Manu  ix.,  80,  81. 

“ A wife  who,  being  superseded,  in  anger  departs  from 
her  husband’s  house,  must  either  be  instantly  confined 
or  castoff  in  the  presence  of  the  family.” — Manu  ix.,  83. 

“Though  a man  may  have  accepted  a damsel  in  due 
form,  he  may  abandon  her  if  she  be  blemished  or  diseased, 
and  if  she  have  been  given  with  fraud.” — Manu  ix.,  72. 

But  no  such  provision  is  made  for  the  wo- 
man ; on  the  contrary,  she  must  remain  with 
and  revere  her  husband  as  a god,  even  though 
he  be  “ destitute  of  virtue,  and  seek  pleasure 
elsewhere,  or  be  devoid  of  good  qualities, 
addicted  to  evil  passion,  fond  of  spirituous 
liquors  or  diseased,”  and  why  not ! 

How  much  impartial  justice  is  shown  in  the 
treatment  of  womankind  by  Hindu  law,  can  be 
fairly  understood  after  reading  the  above  quota- 


62 


The  High-Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

tions.  In  olden  times  these  laws  were  enforced 
by  the  community  ; a husband  had  absolute 
power  over  his  wife ; she  could  do  nothing  but 
submit  to  his  will  without  uttering  a word  of 
protest.  Now,  under  the  so-called  Christian 
British  rule,  the  woman  is  in  no  better  con- 
dition than  of  old.  True,  the  husband  cannot 
as  in  the  golden  age,  take  her  wherever  she 
may  be  found,  and  drag  her  to  his  house,  but 
his  absolute  power  over  her  person  has  not 
suffered  in  the  least.  He  is  now  bound  to 
bring  suit  against  her  in  the  courts  of  justice 
to  claim  his  “marital  property,”  if  she  be 
unwilling  to  submit  to  him  by  any  other 
means. 

A near  relative  of  mine  had  been  given  in 

\ 

her  childhood  in  marriage  to  a boy  whose 
parents  agreed  to  let  him  stay  and  be  educated 
with  her  in  her  own  home.  No  sooner  how- 
ever, had  the  marriage  ceremony  been  con- 
cluded than  they  forgot  their  agreement ; the 
boy  was  taken  to  the  home  of  his  parents 
where  he  remained  to  grow  up  to  be  a worth- 


hi  Religion  and  Society.  63 

less  dunce,  while  his  wife  through  the  kind- 
ness and  advanced  views  of  her  father,  devel- 
oped into  a bright  young  woman  and  well 
accomplished. 

Thirteen  years  later,  the  young  man  came  to 
claim  his  wife,  but  the  parents  had  no  heart 
to  send  their  darling  daughter  with  a beggar 
who  possessed  neither  the  power  nor  the  sense 
to  make  an  honest  living,  and  was  unable  to 
support  and  protect  his  wife.  The  wife  too, 
had  no  wish  to  go  with  him  since  he  was  a 
stranger  to  her  ; under  the  circumstances  she 
could  neither  love  nor  respect  him.  A num- 
ber of  orthodox  people  in  the  community  who 
saw  no  reason  why  a wife  should  not  follow 
her  husband  even  though  he  be  a worthless 
man,  collected  funds  to  enable  him  to  sue  her 
and  her  parents  in  the  British  Court  of  Jus- 
tice. The  case  was  examined  with  due  cere- 
mony and  the  verdict  was  given  in  the  man’s 
favor,  according  to  Hindu  law.  * The  wife 

*In  all  cases  except  those  directly  connected  with  life 
and  death,  the  British  Government  is  bound  according  to 


64  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

was  doomed  to  go  with  him.  Fortunately 
she  was  soon  released  from  this  sorrowful 
world  by  cholera.  Whatever  may  be  said  of 
the  epidemics  that  yearly  assail  our  country, 
they  are  not  unwelcome  among  the  unfortu- 
nate women  who  are  thus  persecuted  by  so- 
cial, religious  and  State  laws.  Many  women 
put  an  end  to  their  earthly  sufferings  by 
committing  suicide.  Suits  at  law  between  hus- 
band and  wife  are  remarkable  for  their  rarity 
in  the  British  Courts  in  India,  owing  to  the 
ever  submissive  conduct  of  women  who  suffer 
silently,  knowing  that  the  gods  and  justice 
always  favor  the  men. 

The  case  of  Rakhmabai,  that  has  lately 
profoundly  agitated  Hindu  society,  is  only 
one  of  thousands  of  the  same  class.  The 
remarkable  thing  about  her  is  that  she  is 
a well-educated  lady,  who  was  brought  up 
under  the  loving  care  of  her  father,  and  had 


the  treaties  concluded  with  the  inhabitants  of  India,  not 
to  interfere  with  their  social  and  religious  customs  and 
laws ; judicial  decisions  are  given  accordingly. 


In  Religion  and  Society.  65 

learned  from  him  how  to  defend  herself  against 
the  assaults  of  social  and  religious  bigotries. 
But  as  soon  as  her  father  died  the  man  who 
claimed  to  be  her  husband,  brought  suit 
against  her  in  the  court  of  Bombay.  The 
young  woman  bravely  defended  herself,  declin- 
ing to  go  to  live  with  the  man  on  the  ground 
that  the  marriage  that  was  concluded  without 
her  consent  could  not  be  legally  considered  as 
such.  Mr.  Justice  Pinhey,  who  tried  the  case 
in  the  first  instance,  had  a sufficient  sense  of 
justice  to  refuse  to  force  the  lady  to  live 
with  her  husband  against  her  will.  Upon 
hearing  this  decision,  the  conservative  party 
all  over  India  rose  as  one  man  and  girded 
their  loins  to  denounce  the  helpless  woman 
and  her  handful  of  friends.  They  encouraged 
the  alleged  husband  to  stand  his  ground  firmly, 
threatening  the  British  government  with  pub- 
lic displeasure  if  it  failed  to  keep  its  agree- 
ment to  force  the  woman  to  go  to  live  with 
the  husband  according  to  Hindu  law.  Large 
sums  were  collected  for  the  benefit  of  this 
5 


66 


The  High-Caste  Hindu  Wo7na7i. 


man,  Dadajee,  to  enable  him  to  appeal  against 
the  decision  to  the  full  bench,  whereupon,  to 
the  horror  of  all  right-thinking  people,  the 
chief-justice  sent  back  the  case  to  the  lower 
court  for  re- trial  on  its  merits,  as  judged  by 
the  Hindu  laws.  The  painful  termination  of 
this  trial,  I have  in  a letter  written  by  my 
dear  friend  Rakhmabai  herself,  bearing  date 
Bombay,  March  i8th,  1887.  1 quote  from  her 

letter  : 

“ The  learned  and  cudlized  judges  of  the  full  bench  are 
determined  to  enforce,  in  this  enlightened  age,  the  in- 
human laws  enacted  in  barbaric  times,  four  thousand 
years  ago.  They  have  not  only  commanded  me  to  go 
to  live  with  the  man,  but  also  have  obliged  me  to  pay 
the  costs  of  the  dispute.  Just  think  of  this  extraordinary 
decision  ! Are  we  not  Ihdng  under  the  impartial  British 
government,  which  boasts  of  gi\dng  equal  justice  to  all, 
and  are  we  not  ruled  by  the  Queen-Empress  Victoria, 
herself  a woman  ? My  dear  friend,  I shall  have  been 
cast  into  the  State  prison  when  this  letter  reaches  you  ; 
this  is  because  I do  not,  and  cannot  obey  the  order  of 
Mr.  Justice  Farran. 

“There  is  no  hope  for  women  in  India,  whether  they 
be  under  Hindu  rule  or  British  rule  ; some  are  of  the 
opinion  that  my  case  so  cruelly  decided,  may  bring  about 
a better  condition  for  w’oman  by  turning  public  opinion  in 


In  Religion  a7id  Society, 


67 


her  favor,  but  I fear  it  will  be  otherwise.  The  hard-hearted 
mothers-in-law  will  now  be  greatly  strengthened,  and  will 
induce  their  sons,  who  have  for  some  reason  or  other, 
been  slow  to  enforce  the  conjugal  rights  to  sue  their 
wives  in  the  British  Courts,  since  they  are  now  fully  as- 
sured that  under  no  circumstances  can  the  British  gov- 
ernment act  adversely  to  the  Hindu  law.” 


Taught  by  the  experience  of  the  past,  we 
are  not  at  all  surprised  at  this  decision  of  the 
Bombay  court.  Our  only  wonder  is  that  a 
defenseless  woman  like  Rakhmabai  dared  to 
raise  her  voice  in  the  face  of  the  powerful 
Hindu  law,  the  mighty  British  government, 
the  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  million  men 
and  the  three  hundred  and  thirty  million  gods 
of  the  Hindus,  all  these  having  conspired  to- 
gether to  crush  her  into  nothingness.  We 
cannot  blame  the  Bnglish  government  for 
not  defending  a helpless  woman  ; it  is  only 
fulfilling  its  agreement  made  with  the  male 
population  of  India.  How  very  true  are  the 
words  of  the  Saviour,  “ Ye  cannot  serve  God 
and  Mammon.’’  Should  England  serve  God 
by  protecting  a helpless  woman  against  the 


68  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Woinan. 

powers  and  principalities  of  ancient  institu- 
tions, Mammon  would  surely  be  displeased, 
and  British  profit  and  rule  in  India  might  be 
endangered  thereby.  Let  us  wish  it  success, 
no  matter  if  that  success  be  achieved  at  the 
sacrifice  of  the  rights  and  the  comfort  of  over 
one  hundred  million  women. 

Meanwhile,  we  shall  patiently  await  the  ad- 
vent of  the  kingdom  of  righteousness,  wherein 
the  weak,  the  lowly  and  the  helpless  shall  be 
made  happy  because  the  great  Judge  Himself 
‘ ‘ shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes.  ’ ’ 


Widowhood, 


69 


CHAPTER  Y. 

WIDOWHOOD. 

We  now  come  to  the  worst  and  most  dreaded 
period  of  a high-caste  woman’s  life.  Through- 
out India,  widowhood  is  regarded  as  the  pun- 
ishment for  a horrible  crime  or  crimes  com- 
mitted by  the  woman  in  her  former  existence 
upon  earth.  The  period  of  punishment  may 
be  greater  or  less,  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  crime.  Disobedience  and  disloyalty  to  the 
husband,  or  murdering  him  in  an  earlier  exis- 
tence are  the  chief  crimes  punished  in  the 
present  birth  by  wudowhood. 

If  the  widow  be  a mother  of  sons,  she  is 
not  usually  a pitiable  object ; although  she  is 
certainly  looked  upon  as  a sinner,  yet  social 


70  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Woman, 

abuse  and  hatred  are  greatly  dimislied  in  vir- 
tue of  the  fact  that  she  is  a mother  of  the 
superior  beings.  Next  in  rank  to  her  stands 
an  ancient  widow,  because  a virtuous,  aged 
widow  who  has  bravely  withstood  the  thou- 
sand temptations  and  persecutions  of  her  lot 
commands  an  involuntary  respect  from  all 
people,  to  which  may  be  added  the  honor 
given  to  old  age  quite  independent  of  the  in- 
dividual. The  widow-mother  of  girls  is  treated 
indifferently  and  sometimes  with  genuine  ha- 
tred, especially  so,  when  her  daughters  have 
not  been  given  in  marriage  in  her  husband’s 
life-time.  But  it  is  the  child-widow  or  a 
childless  young  widow  upon  whom  in  an  espe- 
cial manner  falls  the  abuse  and  hatred  of  the 
community  as  the  greatest  criminal  upon  whom 
Heaven’s  judgment  has  been  pronounced. 

In  ancient  times  when  the  code  of  Manu 
was  yet  in  the  dark  future  and  when  the 
priesthood  had  not  yet  mutilated  the  original 
reading  of  a Vedic  text  concerning  widows,  a 
custom  of  re-marriage  was  in  existence. 


Widow  Jiood.  7 1 

Its  history  may  be  briefly  stated  : — The  rite 
of  child-marriage  left  many  a girl  a widow 
before  she  knew  what  marriage  was,  and  her 
husband  having  died  sonless  had  no  right  to 
enter  into  heaven  and  enjoy  immortality,  for 
“the  father  throws  his  debts  on  the  son  and 
obtains  immortality  if  he  sees  the  face  of  a 
living  son.  It  is  declared  in  the  Vedas, 
endless  are  the  worlds  of  those  who  have 
sons  ; there  is  no  place  for  the  man  who  is 
destitute  of  male  offspring.”  The  greatest 
curse  that  could  be  pronounced  on  enemies, 
was  ‘ ‘ may  our  enemies  be  destitute  of  off- 
spring. ’ ’ 

In  order  that  these  young  husbands  might 
attain  the  abodes  of  the  blessed,  the  ancient 
sages  invented  the  custom  of  ‘ ‘ appointment  ’ ’ 
by  which  as  among  the  Jews,  the  Hindu  Ar- 
yans raised  up  seed  for  the  deceased  husband. 
The  husband’s  brother,  cousin  or  other  kins- 
man successively  was  ‘ ‘ appointed  ’ ’ and  duly 
authorized  to  raise  up  offspring  to  the  dead. 
The  desired  issue  having  been  obtained  any 


72  The  High-Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

intercourse  between  the  appointed  persons  was 
thenceforth  considered  illegal  and  sinful. 

The  woman  still  remained  the  widow  of 
her  deceased  husband,  and  her  children  by 
the  appointment  were  considered  his  heirs. 
Later  on,  this  custom  of  “appointment”  was 
gradually  discouraged  in  spite  of  the  Vedic 
text  already  quoted  ‘ ‘ there  is  no  place  for  the 
man  who  is  destitute  of  male  offspring.” 

The  duties  of  a widow  are  thus  described 
in  the  code  of  Manu  : — 

“At  her  pleasure  let  her  emaciate  her  body  by  living 
on  pure  flowers,  roots  and  fruit ; but  she  must  never  even 
mention  the  name  of  another  man  after  her  husband  has 
died.  ’ ’ 

“ Until  death  let  her  be  patient  of  hardships,  self-con- 
trolled, and  chaste,  and  strive  to  fulfil  that  most  excellent 
duty  which  is  prescribed  for  wives  who  have  one  husband 
only.''— Manu  v.,  157,  158. 

“ Nor  is  a second  husband  anywhere  prescribed 

for  \drtuous  women.” — Manu  v.,  162. 

“ A virtuous  wife  who  after  the  death  of  her  husband 
constantly  remains  chaste,  reaches  heaven,  . . . ” — Manu 
V.,  160. 

“ In  reward  of  such  conduct,  a female  who  controls  her 
thoughts,  speech,  and  actions,  gains  in  this  life  highest 


Widowhood. 


73 


renown,  and  in  the  next  world  a place  near  her  hus- 
band.”*— Manu  V.,  i66. 

The  following-  are  the  rules  for  a widower : — 

“A  twice-born  man,  versed  in  the  sacred  law,  shall 
burn  a wife  of  equal  caste  who  conducts  herself  thus 
and  dies  before  him,  with  the  sacred  fires  used  for  the 
Agnihotra,  and  with  the  sacrificial  implements.” 

‘ ‘ Having  thus  at  the  funeral,  given  the  sacred  fires  to 
his  wife  who  dies  before  him,  he  may  marry  again,  and 
again  kindle  the  (nuptial)  fires.” 

” ....  And  having  taken  a wife,  he  must  dwell  in 
his  own  house  during  the  second  period  of  his  life. — 
Manu  V.,  167-169. 

The  self-immolation  of  widows  on  their  de- 
ceased husband’s  pyre  was  evidently  a cus- 
tom invented  by  the  priesthood  after  the  code 
of  Manu  was  compiled.  The  laws  taught 
in  the  schools  of  Apastamba,  Asvalayana  and 
others  older  than  Manu  do  not  mention  it, 

■*  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  according  to  the 
popular  belief  there  is  no  other  heaven  to  a woman 
than  the  seat  or  mansion  of  her  husband,  where  she 
shares  the  heavenly  bliss  with  him  in  the  next  world  if 
she  be  faithful  to  him  in  thought,  word  and  deed.  The 
only  place  where  she  can  be  independent  of  him  is  in 
hell. 


74  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Wo7nan. 

neither  does  the  code  of  ]\Ianu.  The  code  of 
Vishnu  which  is  comparatively  recent,  says, 
that  a woman  “after  the  death  of  her  husband 
should  either  lead  a virtuous  life  or  ascend 
the  funeral  pile  of  her  husband.” — Vishnu 

XXV.,  2. 

It  is  ver>^  difficult  to  ascertain  the  motives  of 
those  who  invented  the  terrible  custom  of  the 

so-called  Suttee,  which  was  regarded  as  a sub- 

% 

limely  meritorious  act.  As  IManu  the  greatest 
authority  next  to  the  Vedas  did  not  sanction 
this  sacrifice,  the  priests  saw  the  necessity  of 
producing  some  text  which  would  overcome 
the  natural  fears  of  the  widow  as  well  as 
silence  the  critic  who  should  refuse  to  allow 
such  a horrid  rite  without  strong  authority. 
So  the  priests  said  there  was  a text  in  the 
Rig-  veda  which  according  to . their  own  ren- 
dering reads  thus  : — 

“ Om ! let  these  women,  not  to  be  widowed,  good  wives, 
adorned  with  collyrium,  holding  clarified  butter,  consign 
themselves  to  the  fire  ! Immortal,  not  childless,  not  hus- 
bandless, well  adorned  with  gems,  let  them  pass  into  the 
fire  whose  original  element  is  water.” 


Widowhood, 


75 


Here  was  an  authority  greater  than  that  of 
Mann  or  of  any  other  law  giver,  which  could 
not  be  disobeyed.  The  priests  and  their  allies, 
pictured  heaven  in  the  most  beautiful  colors 
and  described  various  enjoyments  so  vividly 
that  the  poor  widow  became  madly  impatient 
to  get  to  the  blessed  place  in  company  with 
her  departed  husband.  Not  only  was  the  wo- 
man assured  of  her  getting  into  heaven  by 
this  sublime  act,  but  also  that  by  this  great 
sacrifice  she  would  secure  salvation  to  herself 
and  husband,  and  to  their  families  to  the 
seventh  generation.  Be  they  ever  so  sinful, 
they  would  surely  attain  the  highest  bliss  in 
heaven,  and  prosperity  on  earth.  Who  would 
not  sacrifice  herself  if  she  were  sure  of  such  a 
result  to  herself  and  her  loved  ones?  Besides 
this,  she  was  conscious  of  the  miseries  and 
degradation  to  which  she  would  be  subjected 
now  that  she  had  survived  her  husband.  The 
momentary  agony  of  suffocation  in  the  flames 
was  nothing  compared  to  her  lot  as  a widow. 
She  gladly  consented  and  voluntarily  offered 


76  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Wo77zan. 


herself  to  please  the  gods  and  men.  The 
rite  of  Suttee  is  thus  described  : — 

“The  widow  bathed,  put  on  new  and  bright  garments, 
and,  holding  Kusha  grass  in  her  left  hand,  sipped  water 
from  her  right  palm,  scattered  some  Tila  grains,  and  then, 
looking  eastward,  quietly  said,  ‘ Om  ! on  this  day  I,  such 
and  such  a one,  of  such  a family,  die  in  the  fire,  that  I 
may  meet  Arundhati,  and  reside  in  Svarga  ; that  the  years 
of  my  sojourn  there  may  be  as  many  as  the  hairs  upon 
my  husband,  many  scores  multiplied ; that  I may  enjoy 
with  him  the  facilities  of  heaven,  and  bless  my  maternal 
and  paternal  ancestors,  and  those  of  my  lord’s  line  ; that 
praised  by  Apsarasas,  I may  go  far  through  the  fourteen 
regions  of  Indra  ; that  pardon  may  be  given  to  my  lord’s 
sins  whether  he  have  ever  killed  a Brahman,  broken  the 
laws  of  gratitude  and  truth,  or  slain  his  friend.  Now  I do 
ascend  this  funeral  pile  of  my  husband,  and  I call  upon 
you,  guardians  of  the  eight  regions  of  the  world,  of  sun, 
moon,  air,  of  the  fire,  the  ether,  the  earth  and  the  water, 
and  my  own  soul.  Yama,  King  of  Death,  and  you.  Day, 
Night  and  Twilight,  witness  that  I die  for  my  beloved,  by 
his  side  upon  his  funeral  pile.’  Is  it  wonderful  that  the 
passage  of  the  Sati  to  her  couch  of  flame  was  like  a 
public  festival,  that  the  sick  and  sorrowful  prayed  her  to 
touch  them  with  her  little,  fearless,  conquering  hand, 
that  criminals  were  let  loose  if  she  looked  upon  them, 
that  the  horse  which  carried  her  w’as  never  used  again 
for  earthly  service?’’  (E.  Arnold.) 


The  act  was  supposed  to  be  altogether  a 


Widowhood. 


11 


voluntary  one,  and  no  doubt  it  was  so  in 
many  cases.  Some  died  for  the  love  stronger 
than  death  which  they  cherished  for  their 
husbands.  Some  died  not  because  they  had 
been  happy  in  this  world,  but  because  they 
believed  with  all  the  heart  that  they  should 
be  made  happy  hereafter.  Some  to  obtain 
great  renown,  for  tombstones  and  monuments 
were  erected  to  those  who  thus  died,  and 
afterwards  the  names  were  inscribed  on  the 
long  list  of  family  gods  ; others  again,  to 
escape  the  thousand  temptations,  and  sins  and 
miseries  which  they  knew  would  fall  to  their 
lot  as  widows.  Those  who  from  pure  ambi- 
tion or  from  momentary  impulse,  declared  their 
intentions  thus  to  die,  very  often  shrank  from 
the  fearful  altar  ; no  sooner  did  they  feel  the 
heat  of  the  flames  than  they  tried  to  leap 
down  and  escape  the  terrible  fate  ; but  it  was 
too  late.  They  had  taken  the  solemn  oath 
which  must  never  be  broken,  priests  and 
other  men  were  at  hand  to  force  them  to  re- 
mount the  pyre.  In  Bengal,  where  this  cus- 


yS  The  High- Caste  Hindti  Wo^nan. 

tom  was  most  in  practice,  countless,  fearful 
tragedies  of  this  description  occurred  even  after 
British  rule  was  long  established  there.  Chris- 
tian missionaries  petitioned  the  government  to 
abolish  this  inhuman  custom,  but  they  were 
told  that  the  social  and  religious  customs  of 
the  people  constituted  no  part  of  the  business 
of  the  government,  and  that  their  rule  in  In- 
dia might  be  endangered  by  such  interference. 
The  custom  went  on  unmolested  until  the 
first  quarter  of  the  present  century,  when  a 
man  from  among  the  Hindus,  Raja  Ram 
Mohun  Roy,  set  his  face  against  it,  and  de- 
clared that  it  was  not  sanctioned  by  the  Veda 
as  the  priests  claimed.  He  wrote  many  books 
on  this  subject,  showing  the  wiekedness  of  the 
act,  and  with  the  noble  co-operation  of  a few 
friends,  he  succeeded  at  last  in  getting  the 
government  to  abolish  it.  Lord  William  Ben- 
tinck,  when  Governor-general  of  India,  had 
the  moral  courage  to  enact  the  famous  law  of 
1829,  prohibiting  the  Suttee  rite  within  British 
domains,  and  holding  as  criminals,  subject  to 


Widowhood, 


79 


capital  punishment,  those  who  countenanced 
it.  But  it  was  not  until  1844  that  the  law 
had  any  effect  upon  orthodox  Hindu  minds. 

That  the  text  quoted  from  the  Veda  was 
mistranslated,  and  a part  of  it  forged,  could 
have  been  easily  shown  had  all  Brahmans 
known  the  meaning  of  the  Veda.  The  Ve- 
dic  language  is  the  oldest  form  of  Sanskrit, 
and  greatly  differs  from  the  later  form.  Many 
know  the  Vedas  by  heart  and  repeat  them 
without  a mistake,  but  few  indeed,  are  those 
that  know  the  meaning  of  the  texts  they  re- 
peat. “The  Rig-veda,”  says  Max  Muller, 

« 

‘ ‘ so  far  from  enforcing  the  burning  of  wi- 
dows, shows  clearly  that  this  custom  was  not 
sanctioned  during  the  earliest  period  of  Indian 
history.  According  to  the  hymns  of  the  Rig- 
veda,  and  the  Vedic  ceremonial  contained  in 
the  Grihya-sutras,  the  wife  accompanies  the 
corpse  of  her  husband  to  the  funeral  pile,  but 
she  is  there  addressed  with  a verse  taken  from 

I 

the  Rig-veda,  and  ordered  to  leave  her  hus- 
band and  to  return  to  the  world  of  the  living.” 


8o  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

‘ ‘ ‘ Rise,  woman,  ’ it  is  said,  ‘ come  to  the 
world  of  life,  thou  sleepest  nigh  unto  him 
whose  life  is  gone.  Come  to  us.  Thou  hast 
thus  fulfilled  the  duties  of  a wife  to  the  hus- 
band, who  once  took  thy  hand  and  made  thee 
a mother.’  ” 

‘ ‘ This  verse  is  preceded  by  the  very  verse 
which  the  later  Brahmans  have  falsified  and 
quoted  in  support  of  their  cruel  tenet.  The 
reading  of  the  verse  is  beyond  all  doubt,  for 
there  is  no  various  reading,  in  our  sense  of 
the  word,  in  the  whole  of  Rig-veda.  Besides, 
we  have  the  commentaries  and  the  ceremon- 
ials, and  nowhere  is  there  any  difference  to 
the  text  or  its  meaning.  It  is  addressed  to 
the  other  women  who  are  present  at  the  fune- 
ral, and  who  have  to  pour  oil  and  butter  on 
the  pile  . 

‘ ‘ ‘ May  these  women  who  are  not  widows, 
but  have  good  husbands,  draw  near  with  oil 
and  butter.  These  who  are  mothers  may  go 
up  first  to  the  altar,  without  tears,  without 
sorrow,  but  decked  with  fine  jewels.’  ” 


Widowhood, 


8i 


It  was  by  falsifying  a single  syllable  that 
the  unscrupulous  priests  managed  to  change 
entirely  the  meaning  of  the  whole  verse. 
Those  who  know  the  Sanskrit  characters  can 
easily  understand  that  the  falsification  very 
likely  originated  in  the  carelessness  of  the 
transcriber  or  copyist,  but  for  all  that  the 
priests  who  permitted  the  error  are  not  ex- 
cusable in  the  least.  Instead  of  comparing  the 
verse  wdth  its  context,  they  translated  it  as 
their  fancy  dictated  and  thus  under  the  pre- 
text of  religion  they  have  been  the  cause  of 
destroying  countless  lives  for  more  than  two 
thousand  years. 

Now  that  the  Suttee-rite,  partly  by  the  will 
of  the  people  and  partly  by  the  law  of  the 
empire,  is  prohibited,  many  good  people  feel 
easy  in  their  minds,  thinking  that  the  Hindu 
widow  has  been  delivered  from  the  hand  of 
her  terrible  fate ; but  little  do  they  realize 
the  true  state  of  affairs  ! 

Throughout  India,  except  in  the  Northwest- 
ern Provinces,  women  are  put  to  the  severest 
6 


82  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

trial  imaginable  after  the  husband’s  death. 
The  manner  in  which  they  are  brought  up 
and  treated  from  their  earliest  childhood  com- 
pels them  to  be  slaves  to  their  own  petty 
little  interests,  to  be  passionate  lovers  of  orna- 
ments and  of  self-adornment,  but  no  sooner 
does  the  husband  die  than  they  are  deprived 
of  every  gold  and  silver  ornament,  of  the 
bright-colored  garments,  and  of  all  the  things 
they  love  to  have  about  or  on  their  persons. 
The  cruelty  of  social  customs  does  not  stop 
here.  Among  the  Brahmans  of  Deccan  the 
heads  of  all  widows  must  be  shaved  regularly 
every  fortnight.  Some  of  the  lower  castes, 
too,  have  adopted  this  custom  of  shaving 
widows’  heads,  and  have  much  pride  in  imi- 
tating their  high-caste  brethren.  What  woman 
is  there  who  does  not  love  the  wealth  of  soft 
and  glossy  hair  with  which  nature  has  so 
generously  decorated  her  head  ? A Hindu 
woman  thinks  it  worse  than  death  to  lose  her 
beautiful  hair.  Girls  of  fourteen  and  fifteen 
who  hardly  know  the  reason  why  they  are 


Widowhood. 


83 

so  cruelly  deprived  of  everything  they  like, 
are  often  seen  wearing  sad  countenances,  their 
eyes  swollen  from  shedding  bitter  tears.  They 
are  glad  to  find  a dark  corner  where  they 
may  hide  their  faces  as  if  they  had  done 
something  shameful  and  criminal.  The  widow 
must  wear  a single  coarse  garment,  white,  red 
or  brown.  She  must  eat  only  one  meal  dur- 
ing the  twenty-four  hours  of  a day.  She 
must  never  take  part  in  family  feasts  and 
jubilees,  with  others.  She  must  not  show 
herself  to  people  on  auspicious  occasions.  A 
man  or  woman  thinks  it  unlucky  to  behold  a 
widow’s  face  before  seeing  any  other  object 
in  the  morning.  A man  will  postpone  his 
journey  if  his  path  happens  to  be  crossed  by 
a widow  at  the  time  of  his  departure. 

A widow  is  called  an  ‘ ‘ inauspicious’  ’ thing. 
The  name  “rand,”  by  which  she  is  generally 
known,  is  the  same  that  is  borne  by  a Nautch 
girl  or  a harlot.  The  relatives  and  neighbors 
of  the  young  widow’s  husband  are  always 
ready  to  call  her  bad  names,  and  to  address 


84  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Woman. 

her  in  abusive  language  at  every  opportunity. 
There  is  scarcely  a day  of  her  life  on  which 
she  is  not  cursed  by  these  people  as  the  cause 
of  their  beloved  friend’s  death.  The  mother- 
in-law  gives  vent  to  her  grief  by  using  such 
language  as,  when  once  heard,  burns  into  a 
human  heart.  In  short,  the  young  widow’s 
life  is  rendered  intolerable  in  ever\-  possible 
way.  There  may  be  exceptions  to  this  rule, 
but,  unhappily,  they  are  not  many.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  the  young  widow  is  always 
looked  upon  with  suspicion,  and  closely  guarded 
as  if  she  were  a prisoner,  for  fear  she  may  at 
any  time  bring  disgrace  upon  the  family  by 
committing  some  improper  act.  The  purpose 
of  disfiguring  her  by  shaving  her  head,  by  not 
allowing  her  to  put  ornaments  or  bright,  beau- 
tiful garments  on  her  person,  is  to  render  her 
less  attractive  to  a man’s  eye.  Not  allowing 
her  to  eat  more  than  once  a day,  and  compel- 
ling her  to  abstain  from  food  altogether  on 
sacred  days,  is  a part  of  the  discipline  by 
which  to  mortifv  her  vouthful  nature  and  de- 


Widowhood. 


85 


sire.  She  is  closely  confined  to  the  house, 
forbidden  even  to  associate  with  her  female 
friends  as  often  as  she  wishes  ; no  man  except 
her  father,  brother,  uncles  and  her  aunt-cou- 
sins (who  are  regarded  as  brothers)  are  allowed 
to  see  or  speak  with  her.  Her  life  then,  desti- 
tute as  it  is  of  the  least  literary  knowledge, 
void  of  all  hope,  empty  of  every  pleasure  and 
social  advantage,  becomes  intolerable,  a curse 
to  herself  and  to  society  at  large.  She  has 
but  few  persons  to  sympathize  with  her.  Her 
own  parents,  with  whom  she  lives  in  case  her 
husband  has  no  relatives,  or  if  his  relatives 
are  unable  to  take  care  of  her,  do,  of  course, 
sympathize  with  her,  but  custom  and  religious 
faith  have  a stronger  hold  upon  them  than 
parental  love.  They,  too,  regard  their  daugh- 
ter with  concern,  lest  she  bring  disgrace  upon 
their  family. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  a young 
widow  without  occupation  that  may  satisfy 
mind  and  heart,  and  unable  longer  to  endure 
the  slights  and  suspicions  to  which  she  is  per- 


86  The  High-Caste  Hmdu  Woman. 

petually  subjected,  to  escape  from  her  prison- 
home.  But  when  she  gets  away  from  it, 
where  shall  she  go?  No  respectable  family, 
even  of  a lower  caste,  will  have  her  for  a 
servant.  She  is  completely  ignorant  of  any 
art  by  which  she  may  make  an  honest  living. 
She  has  nothing  but  the  single  garment 
which  she  wears  on  her  person.  Starvation 
and  death  stare  her  in  the  face  ; no  ray 
of  hope  penetrates  her  densely-darkened  mind. 
What  can  she  do?  The  only  alternative  be- 
fore her  is  either  to  commit  suicide  or,  worse 
still,  accept  a life  of  infamy  and  shame.  Oh, 
cruel,  cruel  is  the  custom  that  drives  thou- 
sands of  young  widows  to  such  a fate.  Here 
is  a prayer  by  a woman  doomed  to  life-long 
misery,  which  will  describe  her  own  and  her 
sisters’  feelings  better  than  any  words  of 
mine.  It  was  written  by  a pupil  of  a British 
Zenana  missionary,  one  of  the  few  Hindu  wo- 
men who  can  read  and  write,  and  one  who  has 
tasted  the  bitter  sorrows  and  degradation  of 
Hindu  widowhood  from  her  childhood, — 


Widowhood. 


87 


“ Oh  Lord,  hear  my  prayer ! No  one  has  turned  an  eye 
on  the  oppression  that  we  poor  women  suffer,  though  with 
weeping,  and  crying  and  desire,  we  have  turned  to  all 
sides,  hoping  that  some  one  would  save  us.  No  one  has 
lifted  up  his  eyelids  to  look  upon  us,  nor  inquire  into 
our  case.  We  have  searched  above  and  below,  but  Thou 
art  the  only  One  w^ho  wilt  hear  our  complaint, — Thou 
knowest  our  impotence,  our  degradation,  our  dishonor. 

“ O Lord,  inquire  into  our  case.  For  ages  dark  igno- 
rance has  brooded  over  our  minds  and  spirits  ; like  a cloud 
of  dust  it  rises  and  wraps  us  round,  and  we  are  like  pris- 
oners in  an  old  and  mouldering  house,  choked  and  bur- 
ied in  the  dust  of  custom,  and  we  have  no  strength  to 
go  out.  Bruised  and  beaten,  we  are  like  the  dry  husks 
of  the  sugar-cane  when  the  sweet  juice  has  been  ex- 
tracted. All-knowing  God,  hear  our  prayer  ! forgive  our 
sins  and  give  us  power  of  escape,  that  we  may  see  some- 
thing of  Thy  world.  O Father,  when  shall  we  be  set 
free  from  this  jail?  For  what  sin  have  we  been  born  to 
live  in  this  prison  ? From  Thy  throne  of  judgment  jus- 
tice flows,  but  it  does  not  reach  us  ; in  this,  our  life-long 
misery,  only  injustice  comes  near  us. 

“Thou  hearer  of  prayer,  if  we  have  sinned  against 
Thee,  forgive,  but  we  are  too  ignorant  to  know  w’hat  sin 
is.  Must  the  punishment  of  sin  fall  on  those  who  are 
too  ignorant  to  know  what  it  is?  O great  Lord,  our 
name  is  written  with  drunkards,  with  lunatics,  with  im- 
beciles, with  the  very  animals  ; as  they  are  not  responsi- 
ble, we  are  not.  Criminals,  confined  in  the  jails  for  life, 
are  happier  than  we,  for  they  know  something  of  Thy 
world.  They  were  not  born  in  prison,  but  we  have  not 


88  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 


for  one  day,  no,  not  even  in  our  dreams,  seen  Thy  world; 
to  us  it  is  nothing  but  a name  ; and  not  having  seen  the 
world,  we  cannot  know  Thee,  its  maker.  Those  who  have 
seen  Thy  works  may  learn  to  understand  Thee,  but  for 
us,  who  are  shut  in,  it  is  not  possible  to  learn  to  know 
Thee.  We  see  only  the  four  walls  of  the  house.  Shall 
w'e  call  them  the  world,  or  India  ? We  have  been  born 
in  this  jail,  we  have  died  here,  and  are  dying. 

“O  Father  of  the  world,  hast  Thou  not  created  us? 
Or  has  perchance,  some  other  god  made  us  ? Dost  Thou 
care  only  for  men  ? Hast  Thou  no  thought  for  us  wo- 
men ? Why  hast  Thou  created  us  male  and  female  ? O 
Almighty,  hast  Thou  not  power  to  make  us  other  than 
we  are,  that  we  too  might  have  some  share  in  the  com- 
forts of  this  life  ? The  cry  of  the  oppressed  is  heard  even 
in  the  world.  Then  canst  Thou  look  upon  our  victim 
hosts,  and  shut  Thy  doors  of  justice  ^ O God  Almighty 
and  Unapproachable,  think  upon  Thy  mercy,  which  is 
a vast  sea,  and  remember  us.  O Lord,  save  us,  for  we 
cannot  bear  our  hard  lot ; many  of  us  have  killed  our- 
selves, and  we  are  still  killing  ourselves.  O God  of 
mercy,  our  prayer  to  Thee  is  this,  that  the  curse  may 
be  removed  from  the  women  of  India.  Create  in  the 
hearts  of  the  men  some  sympathy,  that  our  lives  may  no 
longer  be  passed  in  vain  longing,  that  saved  by  Thy 
mercy,  we  may  taste  something  of  the  joys  of  life.” 

A Hindu  gentleman  contributes  an  article 
entitled  “The  Hindu  Widow,”  to  The  Nine- 
teenth Century.  I quote  from  this  as  testi- 


Widowhood. 


89 


mony  from  the  other  sex,  of  the  truthfulness 
of  my  statement,  lest  I should  appear  to  ex- 
aggerate the  miserable  condition  to  which  my 
sister-widows  are  doomed  for  life  : — 

“ The  widow  who  has  no  parents  has  to  pass  her  whole 
life  under  the  roof  of  her  father-in-law,  and  then  she 
knows  no  comfort  whatever.  She  has  to  meet  from  her 
late  husband’s  relations  only  unkind  looks  and  unjust  re- 
proaches. She  has  to  work  like  a slave,  and  for  the 
reward  of  all  her  drudgery  she  only  receives  hatred  and 
abhorrence  from  her  mother-in-law  and  sisters-in-law.  If 
there  is  any  disorder  in  the  domestic  arrangements  of  the 
family  the  widow  is  blamed  and  cursed  for  it.  Among  • 
Hindus,  women  cannot  inherit  any  paternal  property,  and 
if  a widow  is  left  any  property  by  her  husband  she  can- 
not call  it  her  own.  All  her  wealth  belongs  to  her  son, 
if  she  has  any,  and  if  she  has  nobody  to  inherit  it  she 
is  made  to  adopt  an  heir,  and  give  him  all  her  property 
directly  he  comes  of  age,  and  herself  live  on  a bare  allow- 
ance granted  by  him.  Kven  death  cannot  save  a widow 
from  indignities.  For  when  a wife  dies  she  is  burnt  in 
the  clothes  she  had  on,  but  a widow’s  corpse  is  covered 
with  a coarse  white  cloth,  and  there  is  little  ceremony  at 
her  funeral 

“‘The  English  have  abolished  Sati  (Suttee),  but  alas! 
neither  the  English  nor  the  angels  know  what  goes  on 
in  our  houses,  and  the  Hindus  not  only  do  not  care,  but 
think  it  good  I ’ Such  were  the  words  of  a widow ; 
and  well  might  she  exclaim  that  ‘neither  the  English 


90 


The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman, 


nor  the  angels  know,  and  that  the  Hindus  not  only  don’t 
care,  but  think  it  good  ; ’ for  Hindu  as  I am,  I can  vouch 
for  her  statement  that  very  few  Hindus  have  a fair  know- 
ledge of  the  actual  sufferings  of  the  widows  among  them, 
and  fewer  still  care  to  know  the  evils  and  horrors  of  the 
barbarous  custom  which  victimizes  their  own  sisters  and 
daughters  in  so  ruthless  a manner  ; nay,  on  the  contrary, 
the  majority  of  the  orthodox  Hindus  consider  the  practice 
to  be  good  and  salutary.  Only  the  Hindu  widows  know 
their  own  sufferings  ; it  is  perfectly  impossible  for  any 
other  mortal,  or  even  ‘the  angels,’  (as  the  widow  says), 
to  realize  them.  One  can  easily  imagine  how  hard  the 
widow’s  lot  must  be  ...  . when  to  the  continuous 

course  of  fastings,  self-inflictions  and  humiliations  is  added 
the  galling  ill-treatment  which  she  receives  from  her  own 
relations  and  friends.  To  a Hindu  widow  death  is  a 
thousand  times  more  welcome  than  her  miserable  exis- 
tence. It  is  no  doubt  this  feeling  that  drove  in  former 
times  many  widows  to  immolate  themselves  on  the  funeral 
pyres  of  their  dead  husbands.” — Devendra  N.  Das,  Nine- 
teenth Century,  September,  1886. 

There  is  a class  of  reformers  who  think  that 
they  will  meet  all  the  wants  of  widows  by  es- 
tablishing the  re-marriage  system.  This  sys- 
tem should  certainly  be  introduced  for  the 
benefit  of  the  infant  widows  who  wish  to 
marry  on  coming  to  age  ; but  at  the  same 
time  it  should  be  remembered  that  this  alone 


Widowhood. 


91 


is  incapable  and  insufficient  to  meet  their 
wants. 

In  the  first  place,  widow-marriage  among 
the  high-caste  people  will  not  for  a long  time 
become  an  approved  custom.  The  old  idea 
is  too  deeply  rooted  in  the  heart  of  society 
to  be  soon  removed.  Secondly,  there  are  not 
many  men  who  will  boldly  come  forward  and 
marry  widows,  even  if  the  widows  wish  it. 
It  is  one  thing  to  talk  about  doing  things 
contrary  to  the  approved  custom,  but  to  prac- 
tice is  quite  another  matter.  It  is  now  about 
fifty  years  since  the  movement  called  widow- 
marriage  among  the  high-caste  Hindus  was 
started,  but  those  who  have  practiced  it  are 
but  few.  I have  known  men  of  great  learn- 
ing and  high  reputation  who  took  oaths  to 
the  effect  that  if  they  were  to  become  widow- 
ers and  wished  to  marry  again  they  would 
marry  widows.  But  no  sooner  had  their  first 
wives  died  than  they  forgot  all  about  the 
oaths  and  married  pretty  little  maidens.  So- 
ciety threatens  them  with  excommunication. 


92  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

their  friends  and  relatives  entreat  them  with 
tears  in  their  eyes,  others  offer  money  and 
maids  if  they  wdll  consent  to  give  up  the  idea 
of  marrying  a widow.  Can  flesh  and  blood 
resist  these  temptations  ? If  some  men  wish 
to  be  true  to  their  convictions,  they  must  be 
prepared  to  suffer  perpetual  martyrdom.  After 
marrying  a widow  they  are  sure  to  be  cut 
off  from  all  connection  with  society  and  friends, 
and  even  wdth  their  nearest  relatives.  In  such 
a case  no  faithful  Hindu  would  ever  give 
them  assistance  if  they  were  to  fall  in  distress 
or  become  unable  to  earn  their  daily  bread  ; 
they  will  be  ridiculed  by,  and  hated  of  all 
men.  How  many  people  are  there  in  the 
world  who  would  make  this  tremendous  sacri- 
fice on  the  altar  of  conscience?  The  persecu- 
tion to  be  endured  by  people  who  transgress 
established  customs  is  so  great  that  life  be- 
comes a burden.  A few  years  ago  a high- 
caste  man  in  Cutch,  (Northwestern  India,)  ven- 
tured to  marr}^  a widow,  but  to  endure  the 
persecution  which  ensued,  was  beyond  his 


Widowhood. 


93 


power,  and  the  wretched  fellow  was  soon  after 
found  dead,  having  committed  suicide. 

Re-marriage,  therefore,  is  not  available,  nor 
would  it  be  at  all  times  desirable,  as  a miti- 
gation of  the  sufferer’s  lot.  So  the  poor,  help- 
less high-caste  widow  with  the  one  chance 
of  ending  her  miseries  in  the  Suttee  rite 
taken  away  from  her,  remains  as  in  ages  past 
with  none  to  help  her. 


94  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Woman, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOW  THE  CONDITION  OF  WOMEN  TEELS 
UPON  SOCIETY. 

Those  who  have  done  their  best  to  keep 
women  in  a state  of  complete  dependence 
and  ignorance,  vehemently  deny  that  this  has 
anything  to  do  with  the  present  degradation  of 
the  Hindu  nation.  I pass  over  the  hundreds 
of  nonsenses  which  are  brought  forward  as  the 
strongest  reasons  for  keeping  women  in  igno- 
rance and  dependence.  They  have  already 
been  forced  out  into  the  broad  day-light  of 
a generous  civilization,  and  have  been  put  to 
the  fiery  proof  of  science  and  found  wanting. 
Above  all,  the  noble  example  of  thousands  of 
women  in  many  countries  have  burned  the 


CoJidition  of  Women  tipon  Society,  95 

/■ 

so-called  reasons  to  ashes.  But  their  ghosts 
are  still  hovering  over  the  land  of  the  Hindus 
and  are  frightening  the  timid  and  the  igno- 
rant to  death.  Let  us  hope  that  in  God’s 
good  time,  all  these  devils  shall  be  forever 
cast  out  of  India’s  body  ; meanwhile  it  is  our 
duty  to  take  the  matter  into  serious  considera- 
tion, and  to  put  forth  our  best  endeavors  to 
hasten  the  glad  day  for  India’s  daughters,  aye, 
and  for  her  sons  also  ; because  in  spite  of  the 
proud  assertions  of  our  brethren  that  they 
have  not  suffered  from  the  degradation  of 
women,  their  own  condition  betrays  but  too 
plainly  the  contrary. 

Since  men  and  women  are  indissolubly  uni- 
ted by  Providence  as  members  of  the  same 

• 

body  of  human  society,  each  must  suffer  when 
their  fellow-members  suffer,  wdiether  they  will 
confess  it  or  not.  In  the  animal  as  well  as  in 
the  vegetable  kingdom,  nature  demands  that 
all  living  beings  shall  freely  comply  with  its 
conditions  of  growth  or  they  cannot  become 
that  which  they  were  originally  designed  to 


g6  The  High-Caste  Hind^c  Wo7nan. 

be.  Why  should  any  exception  to  this  law 
be  made  for  the  purdah  women  ? Closely 
confined  to  the  four  walls  of  their  house, 
deprived  throughout  their  lives  of  the  op- 
portunity to  breathe  healthy  fresh  air,  or  to 
drink  in  the  wholesome  sunshine,  they  be- 
come weaker  and  weaker  from  generation  to 
generation,  their  physical  statures  dwarfed, 
their  spirits  crushed  under  the  weight  of  social 
prejudices  and  superstitions,  and  their  minds 
starved  from  absolute  lack  of  literary  food  and 
of  opportunity  to  obser\’e  the  world.  Thus 
fettered,  in  ninety  cases  out  of  a hundred,  at 
the  least  calculation,  they  grow  to  be  selfish 
slaves  to  their  petty  individual  interests,  indif- 
ferent to  the  welfare  of  their  own  immediate 
neighbors,  much  more  to  their  nation’s  well- 
being. How  could  these  imprisoned  mothers 
be  expected  to  bring  forth  children  better  than 
themselves,  for  as  the  tree  and  soil  are,  so 
shall  the  fruit  be.  Consequently  we  see  all 
around  us  in  India  a generation  of  men  least 
deserving  that  exalted  appellation. 


Condition  of  Women  upon  Society.  97 

The  doctrine  of  “pre-natal  influence”  can 
nowhere  be  more  satisfactorily  proved  than  in 
India.  The  mother’s  spirits  being  depressed, 
and  mind  as  well  as  body  weakened  by  the 
monotony  and  inactivity  of  her  life,  the  un- 
born child  cannot  escape  the  evil  consequences. 
The  men  of  Hindustan  do  not  when  babes, 
suck  from  the  mother’s  breast,  true  patriotism, 
and  in  their  boyhood,  the  mother,  poor  woman, 
is  unable  to  develope  that  divine  faculty  in 
them  owing  to  her  utter  ignorance  of  the  past 
and  present  condition  of  her  native  land. 
Fault-finding  with  neighbors,  bitter  feelings 
towards  tyrant  relatives  expressed  in  words 
and  actions,  selfish  interest  in  personal  and 
family  affairs,  these  are  the  chief  lessons  that 
children  learn  at  the  mother’s  knee,  from 
babyhood  up  to  the  seventh  or  eighth  year  of 
age. 

Again,  how  does  it  come  to  pass  that  each 
succeeding  generation  grows  weaker  than  the 
one  preceding  it,  if  not  because  the  progeni- 
tors of  each  generation  lack  the  mental  and 
7 


98  The  High- Caste  Hindti  Woman. 

physical  strength  which  children  are  destined 
to  inherit  ? The  father  may  have  been  free 
and  healthv  in  mind,  as  well  as  in  body,  but 
the  mother  was  not  ; she  undoubtedly  has 
bequeathed  the  fatal  legacy  of  weakness  and 
dullness  to  her  children.  The  complete  sub- 
mission of  women  under  the  Hindu  law  has 
in  the  lapse  of  milleniums  of  years  converted 
them  into  slavery-loving  creatures.  They  are 
glad  to  lean  upon  any  one  and  be  altogether 
dependent,  and  thus  it  has  come  to  pass  that 
their  sons  as  a race,  desire  to  depend  upon 
some  other  nation,  and  not  upon  themselves. 
The  seclusion,  complete  dependence  and  the 
absolute  ignorance  forced  upon  the  mothers  of 
our  nation  have  been  gradually  and  fatally 
telling  upon  the  mental  and  physical  health  of 
the  men,  and  in  these  last  times  they  have 
borne  the  poisonous  fruit  that  will  compel  the 
Hindu  nation  to  die  a miserable  and  pro- 
longed death  if  a timely  remedy  is  not  taken 
to  them. 

Moreover  the  Hindu  woman’s  ignorance 


Condilion  of  Women  upon  Society.  99 

prevents  liberal-minded  and  progressive  men 
from  making  necessary  and  important  changes 
in  the  manners  and  habits  of  the  household  ; 
bigoted  women  also  prevent  their  husbands 
and  sons  from  such  important  enterprises  as 
crossing  the  ocean  in  the  pursuit  of  useful 
knowledge,  or  for  purposes  of  trade. 

To  add  to  all  the  disabilities  of  the  Hindu 
mother  in  the  discharge  of  her  sacred  mater- 
nal duties,  she  is  as  a rule,  wholly  ignorant 
of  the  commonest  hygienic  laws.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  she  is  herself  a girl  scarcely 
out  of  her  babyhood,  when  she  becomes  a 
mother.  At  about  fourteen,  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years  of  age  she  cannot  be  expected  to  know 
all  that  is  necessary  in  order  to  take  good 
care  of  her  child.  The  first  and  second  of  the 
children  of  this  young  mother  usually  die,  and 
if  they  survive,  they  are  apt  to  grow  up  to  be 
weak  and  unhealthy  adults.  Until  they  are 
seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  the  children  of 
the  household  are  left  to  themselves  without 
any  one  to  take  care  of  them,  and  no  in- 


loo  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

fluence  is  exerted  to  mould  their  character  at 
this  most  interesting  and  important  period  of 
life.  Who  but  an  intelligent  and  loving  mo- 
ther can  do  this  all-important  work  for  her 
children  at  that  age? 

Having  thus  far  endeavored  to  bring  to  the 
notice  of  Western  women  the  condition  of  a 
class  of  their  oriental  sisters,  I now  desire  to 
direct  their  attention  definitely  to  our  chief 
needs.  After  many  years  of  careful  observa- 
tion and  thought,  I have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  chief  needs  of  high-caste  Hindu 
women  are  : — ist,  Self-Reliance  ; 2nd,  Educa- 
tion ; 3rd,  Native  Women  Teachers. 

/.  Self-Reliajice. — The  state  of  complete  de- 
pendence in  which  men  are  required  by  the 
law-giver  to  keep  women  from  birth  to  the 
end  of  their  lives  makes  it  impossible  for 
them  to  have  self-reliance,  without  which 
a human  being  becomes  a pitiful  parasite. 
Women  of  the  working  classes  are  better  off 
than  their  sisters  of  high  castes  in  India,  for 


Condition  of  Women  upon  Society, 


lOI 


in  many  cases  they  are  obliged  to  depend  upon 
themselves,  and  an  opportunity  for  cultivating 
self-reliance  is  thus  afforded  them  by  which 
they  largely  profit.  But  high-caste  women, 
unless  their  families  are  actually  destitute 
of  means  to  keep  them,  are  shut  up  with- 
in the  four  walls  of  their  house.  In  after- 
time,  if  they  are  left  without  a protector,  i.  e, 
a male  relative  to  support  and  care  for  them, 
they  literally  do  not  know  what  to  do  with 
themselves.  They  have  been  so  cruelly  crop- 
ped in  their  early  days  that  self-reliance  and 
energy  are  dead  within  them  ; helpless  victims 
of  indolence  and  false  timidity  they  are  easily 
frightened  out  of  their  wits  and  have  little  or 
no  strength  to  withstand  the  trials  and  diffi- 
culties which  must  be  encountered  by  a person 
on  her  way  toward  progress.  But  it  is  idle  ‘ 
to  hope  that  the  condition  of  my  country- 
women will  ever  improve  without  individual 
self-reliance  ; therefore,  is  it  not  the  duty  of 
our  Western  sisters  to  teach  them  how  they 
may  become  self-reliant? 


102  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

II.  Education. — The  lack  of  education  amonof 
the  women  of  India  can  be  fairly  realized  by 
scanning  the  report  of  the  Educational  Com- 
mission for  1883,  and  the  census  returns  of 
1880-81.  Of  the  ninety-nine  million  seven 
hundred  thousand  women  and  girls  directly 
under  British  rule,  ninety-nine  and  one-half 
millions  are  returned  as  unable  to  read  and 
write  ; the  remaining  two  hundred  thousand 
who  are  able  either  to  read  or  write,  cannot 
all  be  reckoned  as  educated,  for  the  school- 
going period  of  a girl  is  generally  between 
seven  and  nine  years  of  age  ; within  that 
short  time  she  acquires  little  more  than  ability 
to  read  the  second  or  the  third  vernacular 
reading-book,  and  a little  knowledge  of  arith- 
metic which  usually  comprehends  no  more 
than  the  four  simple  rules.  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  the  two  hundred  thousand 
women  able  to  read  or  write  are  the  ‘ ‘ al- 
umnco'*''  of  the  government  schools,  mission 
schools,  private  schools  conducted  by  the  in- 
habitants of  India  independently,  private  socie- 


Condition  of  Women  tipon  Society.  103 

ties  and  Zenana  mission  agencies  all  reckoned 
together.  It  is  surprising  how  even  this  small 
number  of  women  can  have  acquired  the  lim- 
ited knowledge  indicated,  when  we  consider  the 
powers  and  principalities  that  are  incessantly 
fighting  against  female  education  in  India. 
Girls  of  nine  and  ten  when  recently  out  of 
school  and  given  in  marriage  are  wholly  cut 
off  from  reading  or  writing,  because  it  is  a 
shame  for  a young  woman  or  girl  to  hold  a 
paper  or  book  in  her  hand,  or  to  read  in  the 
presence  of  others  in  her  husband’s  house.  It 
is  a popular  belief  among  high-caste  women 
that  their  husbands  will  die  if  they  should 
read  or  should  hold  a pen  in  their  fingers. 
The  fear  of  becoming  a widow  overcomes  their 
hunofcr  and  thirst  for  knowledofc.  Moreover 

o o 

the  little  wives  can  get  but  scanty  time  to 
devote  to  self-culture  ; any  one  fortunate 
enough  to  possess  the  desire  and  able  to  com- 
mand the  time  is  in  constant  fear  of  being 
seen  by  her  husband’s  relatives.  Her  employ- 
ment cannot  long  be  kept  secret  where  every 


104  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

one  is  on  the  lookout,  and  when  discovered 
she  is  ridiculed,  laughed  at  and  even  com- 
manded by  the  elders  to  leave  off  this  non- 
sense. Her  literary'  pursuits  are  now  at  an 
end  unless  the  proceedings  of  the  elders  be 
interfered  with  by  her  progressive  husband ; 
but  alas,  such  husbands  are  extremely  rare. 
Our  schools,  too,  are  mot  very  attractive  to 
children  ; the  teachers  of  primary  schools, 
(and  it  is  to  these  schools  that  girls  are  usually 
sent),  are  but  nominally  educated,  and  do  not 
know  how  to  make  the  lessons  interesting  for 
children.  Consequently  a great  many  of  the 
girls  who  have  been  educated  up  to  the  second 
or  third  standard  (grade)  in  these  primary' 
schools  make  it  their  business  quickly  to  for- 
get their  lessons  as  soon  as  they  find  an 
opportunity'.  Shut  in  from  the  world  and 
destitute  of  the  ability  to  engage  in  newspaper 
and  useful  book-reading,  they  have  little  or 
no  knowledge  of  common  things  around  them, 
and  of  the  most  important  events  that  are 
daily  occurring  in  their  own  or  foreign  lands. 


/ 


Condition  of  Women  upon  Society,  105 

Ignorant,  unpatriotic,  selfish  and  uncultivated, 
they  drag  the  men  down  with  them  into  the 
dark  abyss  where  they  dwell  together,  without 
hope,  without  ambition  to  be  something  or  to 
do  something  in  the  world. 

III.  Native  Wo7nen  Teachers. — American  and' 
English  women  as  Zenana  missionaries  are 
doing  all  they  can  to  elevate  and  enlighten 
India’s  daughters.  These  good  people  deserve 
respect  and  praise  from  all,  and  the  heart-felt 
thanks  of  those  for  whose  elevation  they  toil, 
but  the  disabilities  of  an  unfriendly  climate, 
and  of  an  unknown  tongue  make  it  exceed- 
ingly difficult  for  them  to  enter  upon  their 
work  for  some  time  afte/  reaching  India  ; and 
then,  “what  are  these  among  so  many?’’ 
They  are  literally  lost  among  the  nearly 
one  hundred  millions  of  women  under  British 
rule  to  whom  must  be  added  several  millions 
more  under  Hindu  and  Mahommedan  rule. 
In  America  and  in  England  we  hear  encour- 
aging reports  from  mission  fields,  which  state 
that  a few  thousand  Hindu  and  Mahommedan 


k 


io6  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

women  and  girls  are  being  instructed  in 
schools  or  in  their  own  homes,  but  these  seem 
as  nothing,  compared  to  the  vast  multitude 
of  the  female  population  of  Hindustan.  In 
a countr>"  where  castes  and  the  seclusion  of 
women  are  regarded  as  essential  tenets  of  the 
national  creed,  we  can  scarcely  hope  for  a 
general  spread  of  useful  knowledge  among 
women,  through  either  men  of  their  own  race 
or  through  foreign  women.  All  experience  in 
the  past  histor}"  of  mankind  has  shown  that 
efforts  for  the  elevation  of  a nation  must  come 
from  within  and  work  outward  to  be  effectual. 

The  07ie  thing  needful,^  therefore,,  for  the 
general  diffusio7i  of  educatio7i  a77io7tg  woTnen 
i7i  Tidia  is  a body  of  persons  fro77t  a7nong 
themselves  who  shall  77iake  it  their  life-work 
to  teach  by  precept  a7id  exa77iple  their  fellow- 
cou  ntrywome7i. 


The  Appeal, 


107 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  APPEAE. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  I have  tried  to 
tell  my  readers  briefly  the  sad  story  of  my  coun- 
trywomen, and  also  to  bring  to  their  notice 
what  are  our  chief  needs.  We,  the  women  of 
India,  are  hungering  and  thirsting  for  know- 
ledge ; only  education  under  God’s  grace,  can 
give  us  the  needful  strength  to  rise  up  from 
our  degraded  condition. 

Our  most  pressing  want  and  one  which  must 
immediately  be  met  is  women-teachers  of  our 
own  nationality.  How  can  these  women-teach- 
ers be  supplied  ? I have  long  been  thinking 
over  this  matter  and  now  I am  prepared  to 


give  answer. 


io8  The  High- Caste  Hindu  Woman. 

Among  the  inhabitants  of  India,  the  high- 
caste  people  rank  as  the  most  intelligent  ; 
they  have  been  a refined  and  cultivated  race 
for  more  than  two  thousand  years.  The 
women  of  these  castes  have  been  and  still  are 
kept  in  ignorance,  yet  they  have  inherited 
from  their  fathers  to  a certain  degree,  quick- 
ness of  perception  and  intelligence.  A little 
care  and  judicious  education  bestowed  upon 
them  will  make  many  of  them  competent 
teachers  and  able  workers.  That  this  state- 
ment is  not  altogether  visionary  on  my  part, 
has  been  proven  by  the  gratifying  results  of 
careful  training  in  the  person  of  Chandramukhi 
Bose,  M.  A.,  now  lady  principal  of  Bethune 
School,  Calcutta,  Kadambini  B.  Ganguli,  B.  A., 
]\I.  B.,  and  also  others  who  have  successfully 
passed  their  examinations  in  the  Calcutta  Uni- 
versity. The  professors  of  the  Woman’s  Medi- 
cal College  of  Pennsylvania  will  bear  testimony 
to  the  ability  of  the  late  Dr.  Anandibai  Joshee. 
Had  her  life  been  spared  a little  longer  she 
would  have  shown  to  the  world  that  the  Hin- 


The  Appeal. 


109 


du  woman,  in  spite  of  all  drawbacks  equals 
any  woman  of  civilized  countries. 

Again,  according  to  the  census  of  1881 
there  were  in  India  twenty  million  nine  hun- 
dred and  thirty  thousand  six  hundred  and 
twenty-six  widows,  of  all  ages  and  castes. 
Among  these  were  six  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
thousand  one  hundred  widows  under  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  viz. : 

Under  nine  years  of  age 78,976 

From  10  to  14  years  of  age.  . . . 207,388 
From  15  to  19  years  of  age.  . . . 382,736 

669,100 

Girls  of  nine  and  ten,  or  thirteen  years  of 
age,  whose  betrothed  husbands  are  dead,  are 
virgin  widows,  and  these,  if  of  high-caste 
families,  must  remain  single  throughout  life. 
Now  if  there  were  suitable  educational  institu- 
tions where  young  widows  who  might  wish  to 
be  independent  of  their  relatives  and  make  an 
honest  living  for  themselves,  might  go  to  be 
instructed  in  useful  handiwork,  and  educated 
for  teachers,  many  horrid  occurrences  might 


no  The  High- Caste  Hmdu  Woma7i. 

be  prevented,  and  at  the  same  time  these  wi- 
dows would  prove  a welcome  blessing  to  their 
conntrvwomen.  But  alas  ! institutions  have 
not  been  founded  anywhere  in  India  where 
high-caste  widows  can  receive  shelter  and  edu- 
cation. 

In  the  year  1866,  an  eminent  English  lady, 
Miss  IMary  Carpenter,  made  a short  tour  in 
India,  with  a view  to  find  some  way  by  which 
women’s  condition  in  that  countrs^  might  be 
improved.  She  at  once  discovered  that  the 
chief  means  by  which  the  desired  end  might 
be  accomplished  was  by  furnishing  women- 
teachers  for  the  Hindu  zenanas.  She  sug- 
gested that  the  British  government  should 
establish  normal  schools  for  training  women- 
teachers  and  that  scholarships  should  be  awarded 
to  girls  in  order  to  prolong  their  school-going 
period,  and  to  assist  indigent  women,  who 
would  otherwise  be  unable  to  pursue  their  stu- 
dies. In  response  to  Miss  Carpenter’s  appeal 
upon  her  return  to  England,  the  British  gov- 
ernment founded  several  schools  for  women  in 


The  Appeal. 


1 1 1 


India,  and  in  honor  of  this  good  lady  a few 
“ Maiy"  Carpenter  scholarships  ” were  endowed 
by  benevolent  persons.  These  schools  which 
I have  personally  inspected,  were  opened  to 
women  of  every  caste,  and  while  they  have 
undoubtedly  been  of  use,  they  have  not  real- 
ized the  hopes  of  their  founder,  partly  because 
of  the  impossibility  of  keeping  caste-rules  in 
them,  and  partly  on  account  of  the  inadequacy 
of  the  arrangements  for  attendance.  When  a 
high-caste  widow  takes  it  upon  herself  to  go 
to  school,  she  cannot  hope,  except  in  cases 
which  are  extremely  rare,  to  receive  any  kind 
of  help  from  her  own  relatives ; so  she  is 
thrown  out  a penniless,  helpless,  forlorn  crea- 
ture to  face  the  world  alone.  If  then  she  is 
so  fortunate  as  to  be  sheltered  in  a normal 
school  and  is  awarded  a studentship  she  finds 
this  scarcely  enough  to  keep  her  from  star- 
vation, its  money  value  being  from  twelve 
to  twenty  or  twenty-five  dollars  per  year  ; but 
she  cannot  get  even  this  scanty  support  from 
the  educational  department,  unless  she  pass 


1 1 2 The  High-  Caste  Hindu  Woma7i, 

a certain  examination.  How  can  an  illiterate 
widow  hope  to  pass  that  examination  ? 

Besides  these  government  normal  schools  for 
women,  of  which  at  the  present  time,  there 
are  probably  six  throughout  all  India,  there 
are  a few  foreign  mission  schools  where  a 
woman  may  find  shelter  and  instruction, 
but  if  she  be  an  orthodox  Hindu  by  faith, 
and  of  a respectable  family,  she  wull  on  no 
account  take  refuge  with  people  of  a strange 
religion  and  countr}\  There  are  exceptions  of 
course  to  this  statement,  but  as  a rule,  a high- 
caste  Hindu  woman  prefers  death  to  this  alter- 
native. She  knows  that  if  she  goes  to  live 
with  missionaries  she  must  lose’  caste,  and  that 
she  must  study  their  Bible,  and  perhaps  in  the 
end  be  induced  to  forsake  her  ancestral  faith 
and  embrace  a strange  one.  No  woman  of 
any  religion  in  which  she  firmly  believes  whe- 
ther it  appear  to  others  to  be  true  or  false, 
would  violate  her  conscience  simply  for  food 
and  shelter.  That  the  fear  of  being  tempted 
to  abjure  one’s  religion  for  the  sake  of  worldly 


The  AppeaC. 


113 

gain  should  prevent  many  an  excellent  Hindu 
widow  from  going  to  foreign  missionary  schools 
is  undoubted.  She  honestly  believes  that  if  her 
life  is  rendered  intolerable  by  domestic  misery 
she  can  drown  herself  in  some  sacred  river  by 
which  deed  she  will  not  only  escape  the 
wretchedness  of  this  life,  but  her  past  sins 
will  be  forgiven,  and  a place  in  heaven  se- 
cured, but  to  forsake  her  ancestral  religion 
under  any  circumstances  would  doom  her  to 
eternal  perdition  in  the  world  to  come. 

Is  there  then  no  way  of  helping  and  educat- 
ing these  high-caste  widows  ? Can  none  of 
these  obstacles  be  removed  from  her  path  ? 
Yes  ! they  can  be  removed,  and  the  course 
which  in  my  judgment  can  most  advantageous- 
ly be  taken  in  order  to  succor  the  widows  and 
the  women  of  India  in  general,  may  be  stated 
as  follows  : — 

I.  Houses  should  be  opened  for  the  young 

and  high-caste  child- widows  where  they  can 

take  shelter  without  the  fear  of  losing  their 

caste,  or  of  being  disturbed  in  their  religious 
8 


1 1 4 The  High-  Caste  Hmdu  Wo77tan. 

belief  and  where  they  may  have  entire  free- 
dom of  action  as  relates  to  caste-rules,  such  as 
cooking  of  food,  etc.,  provided  they  do  not 
violate  the  rules  or  disturb  the  peace  of  the 
house  wherein  they  have  taken  up  their  abode. 

II.  In  order  to  help  them  make  an  honor- 
able and  independent  living,  they  should  be 
taught  in  these  houses  to  be  teachers,  govern- 
esses, nurses  and  housekeepers,  and  should  be- 
come skilled  in  other  forms  of  hand-work,  ac- 
cording to  their  taste  and  capacity. 

III.  These  houses  should  be  under  the 
superintendence  and  management  of  influential 
Hindu  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who  should  be 
pledged  to  make  each  house  a .happy  home 
and  an  instructive  institution  for  those  who 
seek  its  opportunities. 

IV.  The  services  of  well-qualified  American 
ladies  as  assistants  and  teachers  should  be  se- 
cured in  order  to  afford  the  occupants  of  the 
houses  the  combined  advantage  of  Eastern  and 
Western  civilization  and  education. 

V.  Libraries  containing  the  best  books  on 


T 


The  AppeaL  1 1 5 

history,  science,  art,  religions  and  other  de- 
partments of  literature  should  be  established 
in  these  houses  for  the  benefit  of  their  inmates 
and  of  other  women  in  their  vicinity  who  may 
wish  to  read.  Lectureships  should  also  be 
established  in  the  libraries,  and  the  lecturers 
should  be  engaged  with  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  they  do  not  speak  irreverently  of 
any  religion  or  sacred  custom  while  lecturing 
in. that  house  or  library;  the  lecturers  should 
embrace  in  their  topics,  hygiene,  geography, 
elementary  science,  foreign  travel,  etc.,  and 
the  lectures  should  be  designed  primarily  to 
open  the  eyes  and  ears  of  those  who  long  have 
dwelt  in  the  prison-house  of  ignorance,  know- 
ing literally  nothing  of  God’s  beautiful  world. 


It  is  my  intention  after  my  return  home 
(which  I trust  may  be  within  a year  from 
this  time)  to  establish  at  least  one  such  insti- 
tution. I am  fully  aware  of  the  great  respon- 
sibility the  trial — and  it  tnay  be  the  failure — 
will  involve  ; but  as  some  one  must  make  a 


1 1 6 The  High-  Caste  Hindu  Wo7nan. 

beginning,  I am  resolved  to  try,  trusting  that 
God,  who  knows  the  need  of  my  country- 
women, will  raise  up  able  workers  to  forward 
this  cause,  whether  I succeed  in  it  or  not. 
The  great  majority  of  my  country-people  be- 
ing most  bitterly  opposed  to  the  education  of 
women,  there  is  little  hope  of  my  getting  from 
them  either  good  words  or  pecuniary  aid. 

For  the  present  it  is  useless  to  reason  wdth 
high-caste  Hindu  gentlemen  concerning  this 
matter ; they  only  ridicule  the  proposal  or 
silently  ignore  it.  There  are  some  among 
them  who  would  certainly  approve  and  would 
help  to  carry  the  idea  into  effect,  but  they 
must  first  realize  its  advantages  and  see  its 
good  results.  One  must  have  the  power  of 
performing  miracles  to  induce  this  class  of 
men  to  receive  the  gospel  of  society’s  well- 
being through  the  elevation  of  woman.  Such 
a miracle  I have  faith  to  believe  will  be  per- 
formed in  India  before  the  end  of  the  next 
ten  years,  and  if  this  be  true,  the  enterprise 
wdll  prove  self-supporting  after  that  period 


The  Appeal. 


117 

with  only  native  aid.  There  is  even  now  a 
handful  of  Hindus  entertaining  progressive 
ideas  who  are  doing  all  they  can  to  reform  the 
religious  and  social  customs  of  Hindustan,  and 
who  will,  without  doubt,  support  my  work 
from  the  beginning  ; but  they  have  little  with 
which  to  forward  the  cause  except  their  per- 
sonal services. 

An  institution  of  the  kind  indicated,  where 
the  pupils  must  be  supported  and  the  foreign 
teachers  liberally  paid  for  their  services,  cannot 
be  founded  and  afterwards  kept  in  a flourishing 
condition  without  money.  Therefore  I invite 
all  good  women  and  men  of  the  United  States 
to  give  me  their  help  liberally  in  w^hatever  way 
they  may  be  able  for  a period  of  about  ten 
years  ; it  is  my  solemn  belief  that  it  is  the 
most  sacred  duty  of  those  who  dwell  in  this 
highly-favored  land  to  bestow  freely  talents  of 
whatever  kind  they  may  possess  to  help  for- 
ward this  educational  movement.  I venture 
to  make  this  appeal  because  I believe  that 
those  who  regard  the  preaching  of  the  gospel ' 


1 1 8 The  High-  Caste  Hindu  Woman, 

of  our  lyord  Jesus  Christ  to  the  heathen  so 
important  as  to  spend  in  its  accomplishment 
millions  of  money  and  hundreds  of  valuable 
lives  will  deem  it  of  the  first  importance  to 
prepare  the  way  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel 
by  throwing  open  the  locked  doors  of  the  In- 
dian zenanas,  which  cannot  be  done  safely 
without  giving  suitable  education  to  the  w^o- 
men,  whereby  they  will  be  able  to  bear  the 
dazzling  light  of  the  outer  world  and  the 
perilous  blasts  of  social  persecution. 

IMothers  and  fathers,  compare  the  condition 
of  your  own  sweet  darlings  at  your  happy  fire- 
sides with  that  of  millions  of  little  girls  of  a 
corresponding  age  in  India,  who  have  already 
been  sacrificed  on  the  unholy  altar  of  an  in- 
human social  custom,  and  then  ask  yourselves 
whether  you  can  stop  short  of  doing  something 
to  rescue  the  little  widows  from  the  hands  of 
their  tormentors.  Millions  of  heart-rending 
cries  are  daily  rising  from  within  the  stony 
walls  of  Indian  zenanas  ; thousands  of  child- 
widows  are  annually  dying  without  a ray  of 


/ 


The  Appeal.  119 

hope  to  cheer  their  hearts,  and  other  thou- 
sands are  daily  being  crushed  under  a fearful 
weight  of  sin  and  shame,  with  no  one  to  pre- 
vent their  ruin  by  providing  for  them  a better 
way. 

Will  you  not,  all  of  you  who  read  this  book, 
think  of  these,  my  countrywomen,  and  rise, 
moved  by  a common  impulse,  to  free  them 
from  life-long  slavery  and  infernal  misery  ? I 
beg  you,  friends  and  benefactors,  educators  and 
philanthropists,  all  who  have  any  interest  in 
or  compassion  for  your  fellow-creatures,  let  the 
cry  of  India’s  daughters,  feeble  though  it  be, 
reach  your  ears  and  stir  your  hearts.  In  the 
name  of  humanity,  in  the  name  of  your  sacred 
responsibilities  as  workers  in  the  cause  of  hu- 
manity, and,  above  all,  in  the  most  holy  name 
of  God,  I summon  you,  true  women  and  men 
of  America,  to  bestow  your  help  quickly,  re- 
gardless of  nation,  caste  or  creed. 


Date  Due 


II  MPII  Ii|itflii  I III  I IK  iH"  iHlfW  J^HIjillllil  If  'rrfr[-T'~ 

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